The Rider
by Vandal Struggle
Summary: When Hiccup is chosen to kill the Monstrous Nightmare, he decides to leave Berk. When he does, he travels to many places, forming Hilfa. But what happens when his past emerges? Princesses fall in love, friends emerge, and people get hurt. (Original story : StaloKills) (Slow updates)
1. Chapter 1

(Hiccuo's POV)

"Ha, ha," a burly man with a hook for a hand and a wooden peg-leg laughed, "Yah done it, Hiccup! Yah get to kill the dragon!"

Gobber was his name. He had a large, blonde mustache and was nearly completely bald. Hiccup looked over at Astrid. She was his height with a long, blonde braid and a spiked skirt with red leggings and a green and grey striped shirt. Hiccup was usually infatuated with her, but the look she was giving him was enough to send him running. The elder, Gothi, was a mute, small, elderly woman, but she was very wise, and she chose Hiccup over Astrid as the victor in Dragon-Training, where the Viking youth learned to kill dragons. Hiccup flinched as he was lifted up on the shoulders of a random Viking and the entire village seemed to be cheering.

"Yay, yeah, thank you, I am so..."

"...Leaving!" He thought as an ending upon his earlier comment. He was in his room gathering his notes into a bag, as well as some food and tools. He knew in his heart that he couldn't kill the dragon. He didn't want to. A couple of weeks ago he might have, but now he had no desire. He waited until late at night, while everyone was sleeping, and he snuck out to the cove just of off Raven's point.

"Toothless!" He whispered, afraid of anyone who might be listening. "Toothless! Where are you, you big lizard?"

Just then Toothless bounded up and landed on him while his back was turned. Toothless was, in fact a Night Fury. A Night Fury was an all black dragon with spines running down his back. He had retractable teeth, hence the name, Toothless. He was standing over Hiccup panting like a Labrador.

"All right, get off, Toothless." Toothless let him up."We're leaving." Toothless cover his head as if he didn't understand. "They want me to kill the Nightmare, but...I can't do it, Bud. So it's probably...it's probably best if we leave. No one's gonna miss us."

Hiccup adjusted Toothless's tail and took off, taking one look behind him, trying to find something to say, as a farewell to his birthplace, but finding nothing. So he turned and faced toward. Towards tomorrow.

* * *

(Astrid's POV)

Astrid decided to wake up early that morning, to get a head start on training. She was furious at Hiccup for stealing her winning place at Dragon-Training. She had no idea how she could've lost to a fishbone like him. A few weeks ago, he could barely hold up a sword! How was he supposed to kill a dragon? She walked out to the forest to murder some trees in her anger. On the way she passed by the Chief's house as Stoick the Vast walked out, a extremely large and burly man with a large, dark beard. Hiccup's father.

"On, Astrid. Have you seen my son? He hasn't been home yet." He said.

"No, sir. Maybe you should check in the forest. He seems to be spending a lot of time there." Astrid said. Stoick just stared at her a few seconds with an questioning face, before turning to go back inside. Astrid dismissed it. She didn't care if the fishbone was gone. It would probably be for the best of everyone if he was gone.


	2. Chapter 2

(Hiccup's standing)

Hiccup had been riding three whole hours with no stopping. It took more of a toll on Toothless. He was panting and was visibly lowering. Hiccup knew he couldn't take anymore. He started looking around and saw a thin line of green on the horizon.

"Toothless, let's get off here. You need rest."

He steered Toothless over to the forest. As soon as he touched the ground, Toothless collapsed. Hiccup looked over at the Night Fury apologetically. He pushed him harder than he meant to, but he wanted to get away from Berk as soon as possible. He had no idea it would take so long to find land, or he would have packed some food and not have forced Toothless to go so fast. Hiccup sighed.

"I'm going to find some food for us. The usual?" Toothless liked up at him with a weary look. Hiccup sighed again and knelt down beside his dragon. "I'm sorry for pushing you so hard, Bud. I'm sure you wanted to get out of that place as much as I did." Toothless gave a small warble. Hiccup stood and went to go collect some food. He walked only a couple of meters, Toothless just out of his line of sight, when he heard a sharp sound as an arrow flew and hit a tree, not three inches from his face. He jumped back and fell on his rear end as a small figure jumped out and had a bow, arrow knocked and aimed at him. He looked at the figure, contemplating what he should do in his head.

"Who are you?!" The figure demanded. The voice was high. Definitely female.

Just as he was about to answer, a large black shape bounded on the figure, roaring at her. Hiccup felt a sudden surge of weird panic.

"Toothless, stop!" He yelled, unsure of why he did it. The dragon looked at him, before turning back to figure, slowly backing off her while uttering a low growl from the back of his throat. Hiccup stepped in between Toothless and the female on the ground, mouth hanging open. He guessed she was surprised. He couldn't tell because the hood covered half her face. He didn't move from that spot, even if it meant an arrow in the chest.

"You just scared him." Hiccup stated, trying to explain his dragon's behavior. But that wasn't why the figure was gapping. A scrawny boy, probably 14, had just commanded a dragon to do something. And it LISTENED!

"W-who are you?" The figure stuttered. This made Hiccup think for a bit. He knew he had that if his name got back to Berk, they would find him. He couldn't have that. So he waited a while, thinking to himself before answering.

"My name is Brynjar, dragon rider. This dragon is my companion. Where are we?" Hiccup found a new power in his words, even though this person could kill him in less than a minute.

"Y-your in Creena. It's a trading village in the east."

Hiccup had never heard about this place. Hopefully neither had anyone else on Berk. He held out his hand. The girl reluctantly took it.

"And who are you?" Hiccup asked. The girl stood and removed her hood. She had coal-black hair and dark-blue eyes.

"I'm Setrina."

* * *

BACK ON BERK

* * *

(Astrid's standing)

Astrid was walking through the forest, with the rest of the teens. Stoic had sent them out to get Hiccup, assuming he was in the forest when they didn't find him in Gobber's forge. Astrid was frustrated that they had to find him. She could be practicing for Dragon-Training. The thought sent a surge of anger through her. Hiccup had stolen that honor from her. She hoped he was gone, then she would have her honor back.

"Guys!" Fishlegs yelled, alerting the others. "You need to see this!"

Astrid went over and stood next to Fishlegs. She looked over at a cove kind of thing. There was a lake and the place was surrounded by cliffs. But that wasn't what got her attention. The cove was covered with burns and scratch marks. Fishlegs worked his way down to the cove, but stopped when he saw a shield in his way, wedged in between the two sides of some rocks. Astrid stepped in front of him and attempted to pull the shield out, but found it to be immovable. She stepped under it, the twins coming after her, getting stuck. She looked at them and rolled her eyes. She turned toward to explore the cove. She hadn't taken even three steps, when her boot hit a small abject with a clink. She looked down at the dagger, reluctantly picked it up, and studied it. Carved in the hilt, there were three letters. **HHH.**

 _Hiccup_ , she thought.

The wheels started in her head. She wasn't the smartest person, but she knew enough.

Burns...claws...dagger...Hiccup.

Suddenly the answer hit her in the form of a memory. His voice echoed in her head. _Okay, but I hit a Night Fury...just off Raven's Point..._ She dropped the dagger, suddenly sick to her stomach, she turned to Fishlegs.

"Fishlegs, were are we? On a map I mean." Astrid asked him. Fishlegs fumbled through a journal he brought.

"Just off Raven's Point. Why?" The world seemed to turn as she whipped her head around, looking for a threat. She gripped her axe tighter than she already was in both hands.

"We need to get back." She told them.

"I'm with Astrid," Snotlout said, placing himself next to her, "she's clearly the smartest one here."

"Remember what Hiccup said during the last dragon raid?" Astrid asked. Snotlout scoffed.

"Yeah, he said he downed a Night Fury. Like -"

"Fishlegs," Astrid said, cutting him off, "do you remember where he said it went down?"

"Yeah, just off..." He trailed off.

"Just off Raven's Point," Astrid finished for him, "and we find Hiccup's dagger in a place full of scorches and claw marks. What does that tell you?"

Everyone's, even Snotlout's, eyes widened as they realized what she was hinting at.

"The Night Fury took Hiccup."


	3. Chapter 3

(Setrina's standing)

Brynjar paced nervously in Setrina's house, the girls blue eyes following him as he went back and forth, like a trapped animal who knew it's fate. She was both intrigued and frightened by the mysterious young boy. If she could make him her friend, she would have the favor of a Dragon rider! She still couldn't believe what had happened in less than a day. The villagers nearly killed them all on sight, but she stopped them. They put Toothless in a prison like place to "keep the people safe." Brynjar was infuriated. It was all she could do to keep him inside.

"They better not hurt him." He grumbled under his breath.

"Brynjar, they won't. Trust me." Setrina said, trying to calm him down.

"You, sure. Them...not so much." He said.

"You should cam down. It's not going anywhere." He stopped in his tracks and turned to face Setrina.

"Toothless is a 'he',not an 'it'." He told her in a low voice. She didn't know why, but this boy intimidated her. She gulped.

"You talk as if i-...he has feelings." She said.

"He does." Hiccup simply stated. "Dragons are not mindless beasts. They have emotions, thoughts. They are more intelligent than people give them credit for."

"I...never knew." She told him. She couldn't even begin comprehend how he knew that.

"Not many do...I think I'm the only one who does." She was getting close, she could tell.

"And me." She stated sarcastically. Brynjar chuckled.

"And you." She knew she had gotten on his good side, but that wasn't what she was thinking about. She was concentrated on his laugh. There was something behind his nasally voice that interested her. Before she could say anything else, there was a knock on the door. A large man with a stone sword stepped in.

"The Chief would like to see you, Setrina." He said. She got up as he lead her to the meeting place. When she got there, there was most of the adults and elderly, arguing on what to do.

"He rides a DRAGON! Not just any dragon, a Night Fury! He could prove to be a great threat-"

"Or a great ally! Do you remember the last time Vikings raided us? Do you imagine what we could withstand with dragons?! We would never have to worry about war and raids, or even winter. The buggers breath fire! We would never be cold!"

"Enough!" Johannine, the elder, screamed. He was a tall and scrawny old man, nearly completely bald, and with the world's longest beard. Everyone suddenly seemed to see Setrina standing there. "Setrina? Good, you're here. We want to know what you think about Brynjar. Is he trustworthy?"

Such a simple question, but such a large meaning. Did she trust him? She didn't know what to answer. What she said next would change the 30 generations of war, or start another. One they couldn't win. She decided to go out on a limb.

"Yes." She said, trying to sound determined. She didn't. Johannine raised an eyebrow.

"Really? Why do you think that?" He asked. Setrina hesitated before answering.

"I was attacked by a dragon in the woods," she said, earning a gasp from her parents,"it had pinned me down. It was about to kill me when he came up and pushed it off. No weapons, no armor, he just shoved the dragon. Then he stood in between me and it, holding his hand out. The dragon seemed confused for a moment, before it slowly stepped towards him...and put it's nostril in his hand." The people seemed amazed by her story, even Johannine. "He saved me, not even a minute after I almost killed him with my bow. He's trustworthy."

Johannine nodded slowly, contemplating what had just been said to him, his hand rubbing his chin under his enormous beard. He stayed like that for a few minutes before whispering something to the man standing next to him. The man rushed away only to return moments later with the scrawny boy, Brynjar, in his grasps. Setrina felt a pang of anger as she saw this boy being treated like this. She swallowed the mysterious feeling down before she did something she would regret. The man stood with his hand still grasped around Brynjar's arm. She gave the boy a sad look. She turned back to the elder to see that the Chief was standing next to the elder. He was a large man with a long black beard and brown eyes. He always wore a large black chest piece. He was also giving Brynjar a suspicious look, that made Setrina's anger come back.

"Brynjar. That's your name, right? Did you know your name means rider in Norse? A coincidence?...Probably not. So why are you here?"

"Me and my dragon were flying for long time, and we needed rest and food, so we stopped at the first sight of land we saw."

"How on earth did you capture a Night Fury?" People began to murmur amongst themselves as they heard the type of dragon this boy owned. The unholy offspring of lightning and death being caught and tamed? It seemed impossible, but here was living proof.

"I didn't capture him. He crashed, and I saved him. Now we help each other."

"Really? Well, I assume we have lots to learn from you, Brynjar. Here's the deal. We can't let you go, because we don't know if we can trust you. But we can't imprison you for fear you would turn on us. So what do you suggest we do, Rider?"

Setrina looked at Brynjar. She found herself wanting the boy to stay. She couldn't explain the felt like this, there was just something about this boy, something that intrigued her, something that would cause her to lie for this stranger.

But she never expected what he would say next.

"What if you didn't have to worry about the dragons?" Brynjar said very slowly.

"What do you mean?"

"I'm suggesting a trade. If you give me a temporary place to stay...I'll teach you how to ride dragons."

* * *

(Astrid's standing)

After Astrid had told Stoick the news about Hiccup, he had locked himself in his room since yesterday, locked himself in with his grief. Astrid couldn't possibly know what it felt like to lose your soul mate and then your only child. And honestly, she didn't want to. Snotlout, along with the rest of the island, was celebrated his death. The island celebrated no more destruction wrought by his inventions gone wrong. For Snotlout, it meant that he would be the next Chief. Who wouldn't celebrate that, no matter how wrong? Although the did so in secret, Astrid could obviously see what was happening. The passed off the young boy's death with only a small remorse, and that was only because of his sudden success in the ring.

Astrid, meanwhile, was having an emotional block. She knew she was probably in no way responsible for his death, but didn't stop from feeling remorse in all that she said and thought about the scrawny teenager with a bright and slightly crazy personality. She had shunned him simply for being slightly different. Hell, she even helped bully him. Looking back, she wished there were something she could do, but you can't bring back the dead. And she had other things to worry about. When Hiccup...died...the honor of killing the Nightmare was given to her. She needed practice, so she went to the arena early.

But all the way she thought of the inventor with sea green eyes, a nasally voice, and a sarcastic sense of humor.

All the way she thought of him.

All the way...she thought of Hiccup.


	4. Chapter 4

(Hiccup's standing)

It's been about three years since Hiccup ran away. Now 17, He had become an accomplished tighter, his weapon of chose being either his glaive, or glove with retractable blades in the knuckles and wrists. All the while he had built some muscle. He was no longer the limp twig he was back on Berk. He was almost free of his past. So much that he could nearly forget his name. But those scars just don't care away. Those bruises don't heal. And he thought if no one knew about his past, they would ignore it. He had taught the villagers how to train dragons and befriend them. They were open-minded.

During his time on Creena, about two years, he had started a group. One dedicated to protecting people in need. One where no one was an outcast. Hilfa. A Norse word meaning "protect." He has made the new friends along the way. The twins, Festa and Hoggva, who rode Gronkles, and Tyna, who rode a Monstrous Nightmare.

Festa had ran away as a child, with similar circumstances like Hiccup's. She had lived in a rather barbaric tribe, and they chose to kill all the weak offspring. Since she was the daughter of a priest, at 16 she had been chosen to kill a child who had been born early, misshapen and weak. Instead, she stole the child in the dead of night and ran, eventually finding Creena. The child was being raised in the village's orphanage. She chose dual wielding swords as her weapon.

Hoggva had set sailing a month after she left. He claimed he was going on a trading expedition, but he really was traveling to find his sister. He found her two months later, living in the village. It took some convincing, but she ultimately convinced him to join Hilfa. He had chosen a bo staff from the Eastern lands as his weapon.

Tyna had washed up on the shores of Creena a year back. His only memory was something about a red death. Hiccup have him the name Tyna because of it. That and he was extremely forgetful. He chose hand to hand combat, so Hiccup made him a set of armor for it.

Setrina had changed in the last three years. She had begun to fill out her bodice, and she became more shy around boys, Hiccup in particular. Hiccup didn't notice this, however. To him she was still his best friend. She kept her boy and arrows as her weapon, and became more fluent with a dagger and machete. Her dragon was a nadder named Stormfly.

Hiccup was doing his patrol, as was expected in a village that rode dragons when he noticed a small ship in the distance flying a strange flag of some sort. So he decided to check it out. He flew Toothless over and had him land on the deck, ready to have him blow the ship to pieces. Toothless had a plasma bolt ready and had his mouth open showing it. The people on board put their hands up in surrender. There was a small crew, about 4 or 5, made up of mostly men wearing skirts. Hiccup had seen some weird stuff in his time as leader of Hilfa, but this topped all of it. He shook his head and spoke to the men on board.

"Who are you?" He said. There was a pause before one of the men came up to him.

"We are messengers, sent on behalf of the great land of Scotland, and the clan Dub'roch. The queen requests an audience with the dragon rider. That, I guess, would be you." As he said this, Hiccup got an idea.

"Wait, are you saying there isn't a rider in Scotland?"

"A dragon rider? No, not that I'm aware of."

"So you don't know any other rider?"

"We thought you were the only one." Hiccup nodded slowly, while concocting a plan in his head.

"One more question," Hiccup said, with his trademark sarcasm,"Why are you guys wearing skirts? Is it, like, a fetish, or-" one of the men interrupted him.

"These are kilts. They are the traditional clothes of our home land." Hiccup nodded.

"All right. Follow me to the docks. You can get food and supplies there." And Toothless launched up into the air. " **One freaky home land**." He said to Toothless in Dragonese.

 **Maybe they're just eccentric**. Toothless said.

" **Could you give the signal to hide the dragons**?" He asked. Toothless nodded and sent two quick plasma bolts into the sky and a two second roar. Hiccup could only, for the sake of his plan, that the dragons would get hidden in time.

(Merida's standing)

Merida was furious. She was taking a ride through the woods when she and Angus nearly got burned to a crisp by a wild dragon. Sure, she saw a dragon in the woods, and sure it did attack her, but she was perfectly fine. There was no need to send the messengers to find someone who probably didn't exist. Seriously. A dragon rider? There's absolutely no way possible. Those beasts were untameable. Right? And even if they were, why would someone just-

 _You know what_ , Merida thought , _I don't care! If there isn't one, I told you mum!_ But then she scolded herself. _When! Now is not the time to be doubting yourself!_

Merida went into the dining room and plopped her bow down on the table while doing the same with herself and the chair, much to the frustration of her mother.

"Merida, how many times must I tell you?" Merida mocked her mother's words and facial expression, "no weapons at the table!" Merida sighed and placed her bow leaning against the leg of her chair. Her mother nodded sharply once with approval. Merida rolled her eyes and began to eat, controlling her urges to gobble down her food so her mother wouldn't scold her twice in one night.

"I just can't believe that you got attacked by that dragon." Her mother said. "Let's just hope that the messengers find that rider so he can make sure that this doesn't happen again."

"Mum, do you...really think 'at there's a dragon rider? Seriously, its sounds so...unbelievable.". Merida said.

"One can only hope, dear. If there is, let's hope he can take care of our dragon problem. Until we can guarantee yours or anybody's safety, you will stay inside the castle grounds. Is that clear?"

"WHAT?! But that's not fair! I-"

"Are we clear?!" Her mother said in a threatening voice. She held her glare a moment before sighing.

"Yes." She mumbled and continued to poke her food with her fork her appetite suddenly gone. Her mother sighed.

"It may not seem like it, Merida," she said, "but this is for your own good. I just want to keep you safe. But to more cheering news. The suitors are coming to visit."

Merida froze. Suitors? That meant...oh, no.

"...Suitors?"

"Yes. They are coming for a friendly visit. Seeing it's almost a month until the games for your hand. They just want to see how you are doing."

"Mum? When you say suitors...do you mean...marriage?"

"Of course. Look, I know you're not excited about it, but-" Merida cut her off.

"I'm going to bed." Merida said, cutting her mother off, and rushed upstairs. As she entered her room she slammed the door, making sure her mother could hear her. She then pushed her hands through her hair back and forth, a habit she had made when she was angry, while she groaned in frustration.

"Marriage! Merida I don't want to get married!" She plopped down on her bed in frustration, silently vowing she would never get married, and if she did, to not be forced into it, especially not with someone she was sure she didn't love 100 percent


	5. Chapter 5

(Hiccup's standing)

Hiccup sat on a wooden bench in the Hilfa's Headquarters. It was a building near his shack, granted it was somewhat small, but big enough to hold all the warriors and their dragons, plus two of each. Hiccup had his fist held under his chin with his elbows resting on his knees, deep in thought. While he kept his words in his head, his teammates found no problem in giving them voice.

"Dunbroch?" Festa said. "Isn't that, like, a clan? And it's near the barbaric archipelago! At this time of year, there is no way I'll be able to go within three miles of that place!"

"Feeling scared, sis?" Hoggva teased with a smirk on his face.

"No, I just don't feel like fainting from frostbite in the sky, causing me to fall to my death." She said.

"I swear," Setrina said,"the words that come out your mouth are scarier than facing a wild dragon. Besides, these people need our help." She shivered at what Festa's words caused to through her head. Festa turned to Tyna.

"What do you think, Tyna?" She asked. He stayed silent for a moment. After careful consideration, he spoke slowly, not wanting to enrage either girl.

"I think that we do what we have to." Both girls looked at him like he was crazy. Then turned to each other and continued arguing. Before they could give him another headache, he spoke up.

"The people in Scotland need our help, from what I heard. Now you don't have to come with me. As far as they know, there is only one dragon rider, not a village full. And they've already seen Toothless, so only three people can go, since that's his limit. I want to have a surprise for the Scots. You can stay here, if you want..." He trailed off.

"...But I'm going." He finished.

Tyna, Festa, Hoggva, and Setrina stared at him. They had only heard Hiccup speak like this when he was very convinced of something, and it was obvious he was convinced of this. They continued to just...look...until Setrina stepped towards him.

"I'm going with you. I can't very well let you go by yourself." She said, closing her eyes and putting her hands on her hips.

"Thank you, Setrina." He said, unaware of how her eyes suddenly opened and a blush streaked across her face. He looked at the rest of the team. "Anyone else?"

The entire team looked at each other, and it seemed that no one else wanted to go. Tyna was contemplating what to do. If he went, he could lag Toothless and cause some serious damage. But he knew what Setrina had feelings for Brynjar. If he let her go, alone with him, he'd have no chance with her. But Hiccup spoke before Tyna could say anything.

"Well, then, Setrina. Looks like we're heading to Scotland. Go get prepared for the trip. We've go a long time of flying ahead of us, especially if we have to follow that ship."

Setrina just nodded and headed to her chambers, while Hiccup followed his own advice and went to pack his things. When he gets to Scotland, he can't even think of himself as Hiccup. He was trying to leave his past behind. Granted it wasn't as bad as Festa's, but it was still pretty bad. But none of that now. He had a castle to visit.

* * *

(Astrid's standing)

Three years have changed Astrid. Both physically and mentally. She was now more of an accomplished fighter than most of the people on Berk. She had become even stronger than any viking that was still alive, all except for Stoick the Vast. But mentally, she always found herself at a crossroads. Where she was always so sure, she now found doubt. She even had Gothi tell her her fortune.

With requited love, you give him your heart,

With a sad soul, he keeps you in the dark,

The blood of a Chief, the soul of a traveler,

The only one to beat you therefore after,

Against pitch black and blood red he leaves,

With enemies left and friends deceived.

Astrid could not wrap her head around that strange poem that showed her fate. The only line she could understand was "the only one to beat you" and "the blood of a Chief." So definitely not Snotlout. That was good. But what did unrequited mean? Her parents seemed just as curious. They said not to worry about it, but it was all she thought about. She decided to ask them village elder.

"Unrequited," translated Gobber,"means unreturned. "

"So whoever I fall in love with...won't love me back?" She said, incredulously. Who wouldn't love the great Astrid Hofferson? Apparently this person. Gobber put his hand on her shoulder, maybe to comfort her.

"Don't think about it too much, Astrid. Heck, these things can be wrong once in a while. Maybe it's wrong about this." Astrid nodded.

Just then the door burst open and in came an out-of-breath blonde teenager. Fishlegs. He was resting his hands on his knees, trying to catch his breath. Three years had changed him, too. He had built up quite a lot of muscle to replace his fat. He had grown taller, and he was no longer the nervous teenager he was before. He had the makings of quite the warrior. Not as good as Astrid, but still...

"Gothi," he spoke when he caught his breath,"there...I saw something...impossible...out when I was sailing. Trader Johhan can back up my story. It's...I..."

"Oh, spit it out, man!" Gobber said, impatient as ever.

"A dragon rider." Fishlegs finished in a dark voice. All noise seemed to cease in the hut. Astrid, Gobber, and Gothi froze all at once. Their faces one of shock. Someone was riding those...demons?! Astrid couldn't believe it.

"Fishlegs," Gobber said, "if you're starting a mischievous phase-"

"Ask trader Johhan! He saw it, too! There was a ship, sailing strange flags a few miles out, and following it was a man in black armor on top of a dragon! And that's not all..."

More! What could possibly-

"The dragon he was riding...was completely coal black. I didn't want to believe it, but...I studied dragons for years, and never seen one like this. It was small, built for speed and stealth. I think...it was a Night Fury."

Astrid based slightly at that. Someone was riding the only offspring of lightning and death? It seemed impossible. But if that was the case...then this was going to mean another war, on top of the one with the dragons.

"Well, then." She said. "You know what we have to do." They all just stared at her.

"Let's capture ourselves a rider."

* * *

(Merida's standing)

Merida groaned as she woke up. Morning. Why did it have to come so early?

"Merida." Her mother said from behind the closed door. "I need to talk to you. Are you up?"

She didn't say a word. Maybe if she pretended she was asleep, her mother would go away. She thought wrong. She felt a ping of annoyance as she heard the door open behind her. She tried on final time to pretend she was asleep.

"Merida, I know you're awake." She said. Merida groaned and turned around. "I have to talk to you about the suitors."

"Mum, I don't want to get married. I'm 16! Almost 17! I'm not old enough. What good could possibly come out of me getting married now?!"

"Merida, you have to think about what's best for your kingdom, because some day it will be yours. You have to learn to take responsibility."

"Mum, marriage! Can't this wait for, like, a few years!"

"Merida, I know you're not completely comfortable with this, but-"

"I'm going for a walk." Merida said getting up and rushing past her mother. She was lucky she fell asleep in her clothes, or it would be really awkward in the castle. She knew her mother was following her, but she quickly turned a few corners and lost her, while making her way outside. She quickly went into the forest, only slightly hesitating when she remembered her attack, but she quickly shook it off. She made her way around and through the forest. She quickly regretted not bringing Angus or her bow. She wandered about the woods a bit before she saw something. A small blue floating ball of...fire? It looked like...

A wisp. Merida gasped as she approached the wisp. As soon as she got close to it, it disappeared. She stepped back a little, surprised, when she saw it pop up a few feet away. Eventually, a whole trail of wisps came up before her. She stood frozen a little bit before making her way to the wisps. As she hit the first one it disappeared. She quickly picked up speed, following the trail of wisps. She was at a full Sprint when she ran into someone. She fell backwards rubbing her head from the sudden blow.

"Oh, I am so sorry! Are you okay?" She looked up. There was boy standing above her. He was dressed smooth back armor with a sword hanging in a black scabbard on his side. He had bright green eyes and shaggy brown hair. He was looking at her as if he had mortally wounded her. She was so stricken by him, she didn't answer, but just kept looking at him.

"Here, let me help you up." He said, holding his hand out. Merida shook her had to clear it. The boy pulled her up with incredible strength. "Well, you look okay. That's good. My name is Brynjar."

"Merida. Where did you come from? I've never seen you before." Merida said. The boy just shrugged.

"I'm not from here. Just traveling. Hey, you don't happen to know where the castle is, do you? It's very important I get there before tomorrow."

"Sure, follow me." Merida said, leading the boy towards the castle, wondering all the way who this boy was.


	6. Chapter 6

(Hiccup's standing)

As he followed Merida through the woods, he couldn't help but notice her hair. It was extremely red and unruly, like it hadn't been brushed for months. It reminded him of his good friend smirked. He admired this girl's charisma, but something told him she wasn't telling all. Since neither was he, he kept his mouth shut. Yet still...

After a few minutes of walking, they came across a clearing and in the middle of it was a large castle. It had multiple towers and a large wall in the front with a wooden gate. She led him through the large gate and up to the castle doors, where a couple of guards shot angry and suspicious looks in their direction. More so at himself than Merida. Yet the let him pass.

"Uh, Merida, quick question." Hiccup said. Merida looked at him. "Why did the guards just...let us pass?" She looked away. She's definitely hiding something, Hiccup thought.

"It...well, it's because I'm-" she started, but was soon cut off.

"Merida!" A woman in a green and gold dress with two extremely long braids ran up to them and started moving Merida's arms and face, and spoke in an accent close to Merida's. "I was so worried, I didn't know where ya gone, or when ya'd get back."

"Mum, I'm fine!" Merida said. "I ran into this boy in the woods," she gestured at Hiccup, "he said he was looking for the castle." The woman gave him a look similar to the one the guards gave, minus the hate.

"Who might you be, young lady?" She asked.

"Brynjar. I come from a land in the east. And who are you?"

"I am Queen Elinor. I rule the clan of Dunbronch alongside king Fergus." She said.

"Wait-wait-wait...Queen? And if you're her mother, that makes her the...princess." Merida bit her lip."Wow, and I thought I had secrets. Aren't you in for a surprise." Hiccup could see that he was confusing them, but before he could say something, fate decided to say something first, in the form of a girl and a dragon.

"Toothless! Stop! You're going to get us in trouble!" The females in front of him looked even more confused, while Hiccup face-palmed.

"Can't even wait for me to call him." He muttered, irritated. He turned just in time to see a black figure burst through the castle doors and jump on him. Then the figure decided for death by licking.

"Ah, Toothless! You know that doesn't wash out!" Hiccup said, pushing the figure off of him.

 **Serves you right** , the dragon simply chuffed.

"Uh, Brynjar?" Merida said. Hiccup turned around and saw Queen Elinor and Merida both with masks of complete surprise and shock.

"Yes." He said, still trying to get all of the current dragon saliva off of him while Toothless chuckled.

"I suppose you're him?" Queen Elinor said.

"Allow me to re-introduce myself. My name is Brynjar. The dragon rider."

* * *

(Merida's standing)

Merida stared at the boy in front of me. He couldn't have been no older than herself! But here he was saying he was a dragon rider. Merida stared at him with disbelief. There was no way that he could be a dragon rider. They didn't exist.

"You were the one who wanted me to come here. I was told it was because of a dragon?" Brynjar asked. Merida stayed silent, still overcome with shock. It was Queen Elinor who spoke.

"Yes. There was a wild dragon in the woods. I would've thought nothing of it, but the way...the person it attacked described it I knew it wasn't from these lands." Merida barely heard a word her mother was saying. All of her focus was concentrated on Brynjar.

"Well, if it's from the north, I would be worried. They're not made for the warm temperatures here. But seeing it's winter, it would be able to stand then temperatures. It's possible..." Soon he wasn't even talking to them, he was mumbling under his breath with one hand rubbing his chin. Then a black haired appeared out of nowhere next to Brynjar.

"Brynjar. You're doing that thing again." She whispered to him, but not so quietly that Merida couldn't hear her. From her tone of voice it was obvious they were friends.

"Hm? What thing?" He asked, oblivious.

"The thing were you start talking to yourself like no one else is around." She said.

"Right, sorry. Oh, right, I forgot to introduce. Setrina this is Merida and the Queen. Merida, Setrina, Queen, Setrina." He said. Merida couldn't help but notice that this Setrina girl. She acted a little too friendly for her taste. As she thought this, she felt an uneasy and bile emotion rise up in her stomach, but she quickly pushed it back down. She thought she had it under control, but when Setrina grabbed Brynjar's arm with a small smile on her face, Merida felt that same feeling rise up. She ignored it.

But instead she wondered about this boy. What did he do to consider himself a dragon rider? Okay, that was a silly question, but what exactly did he do? Was he like a mercenary, or was this apart of a deal, or an old favor? She soon found herself staring at this boy, wondering what he did. When she realized she was, in fact, string, she blushed and quickly looked away.

"Merida, sweetie, are you alright? You look like you've got a fever." Queen Elinor said, concerned.

"I'm fine, mum." Merida said. "Just...tired, that's all."

"Well, go get some rest. We have a big day tomorrow. You're suitors are coming to visit."

 _Oh, joy,_ Merida thought. She was officially in a bad mood as she walked up the stairs, but as she lay down, all she could think about was Brynjar, clothed in clad black armor, holding out his arm to stop an onslaught of flames. She opened her eyes, blushing furiously. What was that? She shouldn't be dreaming about that.

But...the will-o'-the-wisps lead her to him. Why? Was he supposed to save her or something?

...or something.


	7. Chapter 7

(Merida's standing)

Merida woke up earlier than she usually did. She didn't know why, she just did. And she already knew that when she woke up, she couldn't go back to sleep. She stood up and wandered the halls, and she didn't bump into many people, since most of the staff weren't up yet. She continued her way through the castle until she came across the library. She was surprised to see the usually empty library doors open. She walked in and the first thing she saw was Brynjar, without his armor, papers and books strewn around him as he jotted down notes in a small journal. Merida cleared her throat, causing the rider to jump slightly. He turned to Merida on his position on the floor.

"Morning, Merida. Or should I call you highness? I'm still a little shaky on the traditions here." Merida chuckled. The shock she felt at this boy's appearance had eventually faded, as did the awe of what he rode. She was still a little unconvinced on the concept of dragon riders. She found all rational explanations to her emotions last night, except for her jealousy. She was confused on that.

"Merida will be fine, Brynjar." Merida said.

"All right." Brynjar said, turning back to his work. Merida felt an unnatural curiosity towards what this boy did. She walked up next to him, placing herself next to him.

"What are you doing?" Merida asked.

"Oh, just a little research on whatever dragons are in this region. So far, nothing too exotic. Barely anything, actually. Maybe three or four species with actual thorough information. Why is that?"

"I don' know. I've only ever seen one dragon in my life, and that was a few days ago. The one that attacked me. I suppose that's why my mum brought you here."

"Really. A single dragon attack seems a little extreme to call down a dragon rider."

"I know! I tried to tell my mum that, but she wouldn't listen." Merida said, happy that someone agreed with her. But she soon found out that wasn't the case when Brynjar stood. "Uh, where are you going?"

"Just following a hunch. OH, I should probably clean this up, right?" Merida looked at the mess of books and paper around her.

"Yes, that would probably be for the best." Merida said. Brynjar chuckled and moved to pick up his maelstrom of paper.

"Brynjar? There's something I've been meaning to ask you. How did you take that beast?" Brynjar shook his head and chuckled.

"First off, Toothless is not a beast. He has feelings, too, just like all dragons. And secondly, it wasn't easy. It took a while to get the bond needed between us. After that, he was my best friend. I like to think of us meeting as a blessing in disguise." Brynjar said, a distant look in his eyes. Merida wondered what someone like him would be thinking about.

"Where did you grow up? I didn't think there was a place that welcomed dragons." The smile on his face disappeared, and he looked, for the first time, sad.

"I...don't like to talk about my past. I would appreciate it if you didn't ask again." Merida nodded, but she felt even more intrigued by this boy. She would have to talk to that Setrina girl later. Before she could say anything else, Brynjar stood up.

"I'm going to go investigate something. Would you mind keeping those books where I can find them?" Merida nodded. Brynjar turned and walked out leaving Merida alone in the library. She watched him leave, and put the books on the desk, but as soon as she thought he was gone, she rushed out to find a certain raven-haired girl. She ran through the castle, eventually finding Setrina. She caught her breath and approached the girl.

"Oh, hello, Merida. What are you up to?" Setrina asked.

"Oh, nothing. I just got finished talking to Brynjar. He seemed a little peculiar. He was in the library -"

"Studying." Both girls finished in a chorus. Merida looked at the girl wide-eyed, ready to call for help. Setrina shook her head.

"I've known Brynjar for years. He's either out riding Toothless, training, or having his nose buried in some book. I bet he spent all night studying. He barely gets any sleep any more. I don't know what's gotten into him." Merida nodded, even more curious about this boy, but even more intrigued by Setrina's next comment. "I just hope he's okay."

Merida looked at her, confused, but her eyes widened as she realized the feelings behind those words. She went out on a limb and asked Setrina a question.

"Setrina, what...exactly...are your feelings towards Brynjar?" Setrina's blush was all the explanation the red-head needed.

"Th-that's a little personal, your highness."

"Oh, I'm sorry, I was just curious." Merida said.

"It's alright. By the way, there's some boys downstairs looking for you." Setrina said, changing the topic. "They said something about...games?"

Merida groaned. The suitors! They weren't supposed to be here yet. It was way too early!

"Thank you for warning me, I'm going to sneak out the back now." Merida said, turning around to escape her inevitable fate, leaving a very confused girl behind in her wake. She walked outside to the courtyard, where she saw a certain dragon rider looking very uncomfortable as a group of people surrounded him and bombarded him with questions. She approached the crowd and Brynjar turned to her.

"Princess Merida," a villager said,"we found this stranger attempting to enter the castle. "

"Well, I-" Brynjar attempted to speak.

"Shut it, stranger!" A villager yelled, pointing a spear at him. Instead of looking fearful or even the slightest bit intimidated, he threw his hands upmin exasperation.

"Scotland has to be the most unfriendly kingdom ever." Merida chuckled.

"You know, I could let them attack you." Merida said, jokingly.

"Then you'd have the wrath of a certain overgrown lizard to handle." Brynjar chuckled.

"Come on, leave him alone, unless you want a dragon blowing you to oblivion." As if on cue, a roar interrupted the conversation and a jet-black dragon landed in front of Brynjar, acting as a wall between him and the now terrified villagers. Brynjar just laughed.

"Toothless, don't scare them too bad." The dragon turned to Brynjar and grumbled. "I don't know, go eat some fish or something." The dragon grumbled and walked off, the villagers moving back to get out of it's way. Before another word could be said, Queen Elinor came into view.

"Merida! Come here! It's time to meat the suitors!" Brynjar turned to Merida and raised an eyebrow. Merida just shook her head.

"Come on, I'll explain on the way. Right now I've got suitors to meet."

* * *

(Astrid's standing)

Astrid was taking a normal enough walk through the village, enjoying the scenery and everything. She turned to the Great Hall, hearing rumors of a meeting. Sure enough, as soon as we entered the building, the first thing she saw was most of the towns adults, the elder Gothi, and Snotlout. They all had distraught looks on their faces. Astrid was confused. What exactly was this "secret" meeting about?

"Oh, Astrid, you're here. Good, that'll save us the trouble of sending someone after you." Stoick said, turning to the rest of the tribe. "We have noticed some out of dated treaties in the elders home. Gothi has decided that we should renew at least one before the ice sets in. That way we can have some trading possibilities at the end of winter, so we don't starve. Gothi picked out a rather large kingdom...Scotland, it's called. We leave tomorrow, so we can get back before winter. Any volunteers?"

Astrid raised her hand. She was ready to get off this island and do something. Maybe, if she was lucky, pirates would attack and she would get to test out her battle skills. Snotlout, the twins, and Fishlegs also raised their hands. When had they the twins and Fishlegs gotten here? A handful of adults also raised their hands, totalling to about 10 volunteers. Stoick nodded and faced the crowd.

"My brother, Spitelout, will act as Cheif until I return. If all goes well, we will return with a new treaty...and minor injuries." He said, and walked out of the Great Hall, followed by all of the volunteers. Astrid went to her home and began packing, while telling her parents what was going on. They just nodded and told her to be careful. She simply nodded and!went out to the arena. She wanted to get some training in, because she planned to sleep early. Unfortunately, so did someone else.

"Fancy meeting you here." Snotlout said. Astrid just rolled her eyes. "You know, we'll be at see for almost two days. Might as well get to...know each other better."

Three years and that boy never got a clue. And on top of that, he had no idea how to flirt.

"Leave me alone, Snotlout." She said. She continued to beat a practice pole with her wooden axe she used for training. But much to her annoyance, he kept on talking.

"You know, once I'm Chief, I'll have the choice of any girl on the island. Guess which one I'm choosing?" Snotlout smirked.

"Snotlout...say one more word and I bust your head open." Astrid said threateningly. Snotlout finally gave up, and she smiled to herself. At least something good came out of today.

* * *

(Hiccup's standing)

Hiccup stood on top of the Scottish castle, looking over the courtyard. He smiled to himself as he saw Setrina and Toothless scaring the living daylights out of some locals. He looked over to the docks and saw Queen Elinor, King Fergus, and three other men. There were boys with them, maybe a bit under his age. One was kind of drowzy looking, with a slouch and had messy hair. Maybe he just woke up. The second one had blue paint over his body. He reminded him a bit of Snotlout. He immediately casted that thought aside. The last one was _really_ large. He looked at least three times bigger than he was supposed to. But instead of a rough and guarding attitude, he looked timid and shy. He reminded him of Fishlegs. He pushed that thought aside, too. Thinking of the past would get him nowhere.

He also saw a young lady between the Queen and King. She was wearing a blue and gold dress, with a white headdress covering her hair. He almost didn't recognize her, but as he saw Elinor sweep a wild strand of curly red hair back under the white headdress, he realized it was Merida. She looked different in that dress...unnatural. He pushed that thought aside as they got closer to the castle. He heard what they were saying next due to his trained hearing.

"Actually, before you go in, their is someone else I'd like you to meet. BRYNJAR!" Queen Elinor said and then yelled, which hurt Hiccup's ears a little due to the fact he was straining to hear. He decided to have a little fun.

"YES, QUEEN ELINOR!" He screamed back.

"Where are you?!"She yelled in a slightly quieted voice level.

"On the roof!" He replied. He waved his arms to get their attention as they looked up.

"Um, can you get down?" To answer her question, he planted a knife, connected to a thin wire, in the stone top and jumped. He fell at a normal speed until he activated the mechanism in his belt, slowing his descent. He landed softly on both feet, as if he didn't just jump of a castle tower over twenty feet high. All the people present stared at him. The large boy spoke, but it was very difficult to understand him.

"Um, what did he say?" Merida asked, her mother shooting her a look. Hiccup guessed that it was because she used non-proper language.

"He said," the larger man said, maybe the boy's father,"is he a suitor?"

"No. Brynjar could you call your companion?" Elinor said.

"Setrina?" He asked. What did they want her? Granted, she was a little easier on the eyes, but still...

"No, you're other one." She said, stressing the word other.

"Oh, yeah, that one." Hiccup turned away from the group and let out a large roar. The six visitors around him seemed confused, but fear and surprise replaced it when a dragon answered. Toothless fell out of the sky and landed in front of them faster than he anticipated. The men around him stepped back quickly, except for Queen Elinor who seemed frozen in fear, and Merida who just seemed amazed by the dragon. He smirked.

 **Why did you call me here, Hiccup,** Toothless said.

" **The Queen wanted me to call you."** Hiccup answered in Dragonese. The visitors jaws dropped, along with the King and Queen's. Hiccup expected Merida to be a little less surprised, but she seemed the most surprised of them all.

"Brynjar...are you...talking to him?" Merida asked him. Hiccup looked at her.

"How else would we fly together?" He asked her, but he didn't expect her to understand. She wasn't a dragon rider. Even if she spoke Dragonese, he doubted that she would bond with one on just that. But he could be wrong. It's happened before. Toothless rolled his eyes and grumbled an apology to the royals, then turned and walked off.

"Hey-hey-hey, where do you think you're going?" He asked the dragon, this time not in Dragonese. Toothless just ignored him and continued walking. Hiccup turned back to the people behind him.

"We have some introductions to do." King Fergus said, chuckling nervously.


	8. Chapter 8

(Hiccup's standing)

It took some time (and convincing), but the proper introductions were made between the visitors and Hiccup. Their was then clan Macintosh, with it's Lord and heir in blue body makeup. They screamed when they were introduced, which Hiccup found...strange. Next was the clan Dingwall, whose Lord was a stout and hot-headed man, and his son was as guileless as his father was bipolar. They screamed upon introduction as well. Were they all going to do that? Lastly was the clan MacGuffin, whoseLord was a deep-voiced man, who obviously demanded respect. His son was his opposite in personality, his accent so thick Hiccup could barely understand him. He even doubted his _father_ could understand him. He couldn't help but think that they already had something in common. They screamed (kind of) as well. That answered his previous question. He had to hurry and get out of Scotland, it wasn't even this annoying with the Vikings.

"So, Brynjar? If you're not ah suitor...why exactly are yah here?" Lord Macintosh asked suspiciously.

"I was actually hoping to talk to her Majesty about that." Hiccup said, turning to Queen Elinor. She sighed and gave a sharp nod, gesturing for Hiccup to follow her. Hiccup turned to the Lord's and heirs, moving his fingers from his forehead to he air in a mock salute. They didn't know what he was doing, so they just gave him an angry stare. He turned and followed Queen Elinor into the large stone castle. He closed the door behind him and faced the Queen.

"Your Highness, no offense, but I don't think you called me here for a lone dragon. What's really going on?" The Queen stared at him a moment and sighed heavily. She sat down in her throne and faced Hiccup.

"It was supposed tah be a regular trade with ah local tribe. We sent thirteen soldiers, and they got thrown off course. They came upon an island completely shrouded in fog. And on that island was lots of dragons."

Hiccup froze. Heilim's Gate! They managed to find the dragon's did the Scots manage to do that before the Vikings? It didn't matter know.

"What did the soldiers do?" Hiccup asked. The Queen sighed again.

"Ah dragon attacked them. They killed it, but many more attacked them. There was only one survivor, but he was so traumatized, he went insane."

"If he was insane, how do you know he found the nest?"

"Cause he keeps muttering and screaming about dragons, an' how we are all doomed. Tis just a hunch, but ai have a feeling he found more on that island than dragon's."

Hiccup nodded. He started contemplating. The dragon's were attacking villages for food. But he had found most of their diets were made up of fish. Some are chicken, and the occasional fruit if desperate, but never sheep or yak. Why did they need those? Maybe Toothless knew. He looked up when Queen Elinor started speaking again.

"Please don' mention this to anyone. I don' want anyone to panic...especially Merida." The Queen sounded desperate.

"My lips are sealed, milady. And I will check this island out for myself," Hiccup pulled down his mask, forcefully changing his voice,"if that's okay with you." The Queen sighed and slumped in her throne. Although the surprise at his sudden change of voice, she was overall relieved.

"Thank you, Brynjar. I extremely appreciate it." Hiccup gave her a small bow as he turned and walkedout the castle. He was so deep in thought, he forgot to pull his mask up. He had to go talk to Setrina. They were in for a lot more than they expected.

"Brynja!" A voice yelled. He turned and saw the very raven-haired girl he had been thinking about. "There's some visitors here. And I don't think they're friendly."

"Setrina, before that, I have to tell you...the Scots...they found the dragon's nest." Setrina's mouth opened in disbelief. She stood like that for a few seconds before Hiccup put his hand under chin and pushed it up, closing it. She pushed it away, annoyed at the action.

"Wait, they _found the Dragon's Nest!_ The thing we've been searching for for three years, and others for way longer than that? Are you serious?"

"Yes, and it is _imperative_ that we find it, before someone else does and does something...regrettable." Hiccup turned to walk away.

"Brynjar, before that, you might want to say hi to these visitors...before someone _else_ does." She said. Suddenly he understood what she meant. Dragon hunters. Or trappers. Or killers. Whatever they were, they hurt dragons. And he couldn't let them see Toothless. What better prize than the unhjoly offspring of lightning and death. He faced Setrina.

"Then we leave soon. The sooner the better." He turned to pack, but as he did, he saw a fiery red-headed princess stomping towards him at a furious pace. There was definitely something about her that he was missing, but whatever it was...it peaked his curiosity. He felt a smirk spread across his face as she stood in front of him. She wasn't much shorter, but enough to know there was definitely a difference.

"Brynjar...what were you speaking to my mum about." She asked.

"I'm not supposed to tell." Hiccup said teasingly. For some reason, this made Merida even more upset.

"Was it about me?" She asked. Hiccup raised an eyebrow. What a weird question. He thought a second before answering.

"A little." He said. Her jaw dropped. She got as she could to Brynjar's face.

"Listen here...I don't like you." She spoke in a venomous voice. "I can't tolerate you. And if you think for a second you're worthy of this, you're wrong. Leave me alone." With that, she stormed off. Hiccup stared at her a moment before turning to Setrina.

"Uh...what just happened?" He asked her.

"I don't know...I've never liked red heads."

* * *

(Astrid's standing)

Astrid followed Stoick and the other's to the Scotland castle. This land was so strange to her. Men wore skirts, women weren't warriors. There were few similarities between their island and this one. The first was size. She guessed it was really large. She wouldn't even try to find the ends. She felt bad for the map-makers. As she made her way to the castle, she heard the talking of two strange people.

"I'm just saying, if it was to the point of no return...I would _never_ give you my journal. No matter how good of friends we are." A deep male voice said. Unlike the men on Berk, he had kind of a...nasally sound, and muffled. And he didn't have a Scottish accent.

"Just a peek. Seriously, I'm sure what you're hiding isn't all bad." A female voice replied.

"Yeah...not gonna happen." He said.

"Why are you still wearing that mask? We're not at battle yet. Lossen up."

"Oh. Oh...my gods...the _Queen of uptight_ just told me to loosen up. It's a miracle."

"Oh, shut up." Although their bickering had a childish side to it, it was in a playful tone. As Astrid turned, she saw two people. One was female, she wore clothes similar to Astrid's, except laced with dragon scales and was completely around her, like it was one article clothing, and it was pitch black. There was no skirt, no belt. Something she was sure Snotlout would enjoy. The male was a different story. He had armor like the girl's, except it was bulky and spiky, where her's was smooth and curvy. He had lot of weapons and metal on his body of various tools. He had a mask in the shape of a dragon covering his face. Both groups stood and stared at each other. The girl cleared her throat and spoke.

"Hello, my name is Setrina. This wooden dummy here is Brynjar." She said, gesturing towards the male, nudging him with her elbow to get his attention. Astrid raised an eyebrow in confusion. Those names were Old Norse. They weren't from Scotland, but they obviously weren't from the Barbaric Archipelago. She stood, studying the two strangers in front of her.

"I am Stoick the Vast, Cheif of the isle Berk. We come in search of trade and treaty. Could you point us to the castle?" The pair looked at each other, then looked back at the Berkians, and then the male pointed behind him, to a large clearing in the woods where the castle was showing.

"Seriously, how could you not see that?" The male said. Astrid frowned. His voice...it sounded familiar somehow.

"Have we met before?" Astrid asked Brynjar. Brynjar was silent a moment before speaking.

"Probably, but not likely. Do I seem like the kind of person who would hang around a viking island?" He said. No, he didn't, as a matter of fact. Just then there was a distant roar. Astrid grabbed her axe. She felt her warrior instincts kick in, as well as a rush of excitement. When would show these Scots how you fight a dragon. Just before she ran off, a loud whistle ripped her attention off of the target and onto Brynjar. She looked at him, confused.

"Over here, yeah, uh...before you guysgo all viking-dragon-slayer, you might want to consider doing it on another dragon." He said.

"And why just would we want to do that?" Astrid growled.

"Because that's _my_ dragon." Brynjar simply stated. The Berkians looked at him like he was a madman, until a coal-black dragon came and plopped down next to him, his pupils slit. He let out a low, gutteral growl.

"It's okay, Bud, they're not going to hurt us." Brynjar said. Astrid looked at the scene before her. A dragon rider! What kind of dark magic must this being have to be able to take such a beast. Astrid gripped her axe tighter. This man...demon...whatever he was. He was a traitor to his own kind. And she was going to make sure that he wasn't a threat.

"Well, sorry to break the reunion, but we really have to go to the _place_ we had to go to." Setrina said, emphasizing the word place. Brynjar nodded and got on his dragons saddle.

"You seem like nice enough people." Brynjar said. "I hope we see each other again."

"If, you know," Setrina said, climbing on to Toothless,"we're alive. There's a number of things that could kill us along the way: pirates, Berserkers, bandits, dragons-"

"Thank you for summing that up." Brynjar cut her off. Astrid normally would've thrown her axe right about now, but there was something familiar about what he said. She noticed the dragon raising it's wings. She panicked, recognizing that the dragon was going to leave, and threw her axe. Brynjar raised a hand and caught it with ease.

"Well, that was unexpected." Brynjar said. Before she knew it, the dragon had thrusted upwards and was now flying away, out of their reach. She cursed at herself for letting it get away so easily.

 _Next time dragon,_ she thought.

... _next time._

* * *

(Merida's standing)

The princess stomped angrily down towards the castle. She couldn't believe her mum. She had heard from a maid that her mother was going to let Brynjar competition for her hand. Was she just going to accept anybody into the games? And a stranger, no less. Merida was basically seething with anger as she stormed into the castle.

"Oh, Merida" Queen Elinor said, "there you are. There's something important we need to talk about."

"Mum, are you letting Brynjar into the games?" She asked angrily. Straight and to the point.

"...What?" Queen Elinor asked. Merida became more angry.

"Are you letting Brynjar into the games?" Merida asked.

"Dear, no, why would you even think that?" Queen Elinor said.

"Then what were you and Brynjar talking about?" Merida asked. She was getting more annoyed the more her mother acted clueless.

"...I'd rather not tell you, dear." Queen Elinor said sadly. For some reason, that made Merida even more angry.

"I kew it! Bad enough, you have these stupid games for my hand, which I don't want to give, but you'll just let any random stranger with an impressive skill just waltz in and try to marry me. Well, I won't!" With that she stormed upstairs. The raging fury in her had only been increased. She was filled with annoyance as well. How could her own mother do something like this. Weren't things like this only for savages? She refused to let someone who she didn't really know have the chance to marry her. It wasn't right. Maybe she could tell him to get lost.

She perked up. That was it. If she convinced him to leave, he wouldn't be able to compete in the games. She made her way outside the back way. She hopped it would work. She made her way outside and towards King Fergus. He was talking to some of the guards who got noticeably quoted as she approached them.

"Da?" She asked.

"Oh, Merida, honey!" He waved the guards away with his hand. "What are you doin' about?"

"Do you know where Brynjar is?" She asked.

"Oh, he went on a secret mission for your mum about an hour ago, why?" He started to speak at a faster pace and sweat. Habits Merida knew he did when he was nervous.

"Da...where did Brynjar go?" She asked.

"Oh, I don' know, no one tells me anything." He said, chuckling nervously.

"Da...you're the king. They _have_ to tell you." Fergus sighed.

"Okay, honey, I'll tell yah, but you have to promise not to tell your mum."


	9. Chapter 9

(Hiccup's POV)

Hiccup stood on a large pillar of rock, surrounded by fog. He looked around and saw...nothing. Some more rocks, but no dragons, no sunken ships. Hiccup was filled with curiosity.

 **"Toothless, where are all the dragons?"** Hiccup asked his dragon in the dragon's tongue.

 **"I don't know, Hiccup. I don't like the looks of this."** Toothless, usually fearless as he was, sounded nervous as well. Which wasn't a good sign. Hiccup got on Toothless's saddle and took off, letting Toothless do all the finding.

When he got to the big island, he was surprised to see no dragons flying around outside. Then Toothless flew over the top of the island. What Hiccup thought originally to be a volcano, was actually the nesting areas for the dragons. Hundreds of dragons lined the walls of the massive cave of the mountain. All kinds of dragons. Some he knew, but most...

When Toothless went inside the nest, they were all...cowering. They were in afraid of something. What could possibly make over a thousand dragons cower in fear? Then he got his answer as a low rumbling was echoed throughout the entirety of the cave.

 **"** ** _MURDERERS!"_** It said. Hiccup looked around as he tried to identify the source of the dragonic voice. ** _"THIEVES!"_**

Hiccup began to worry when he saw that each time this strange voice appeared, the dragons seemed to cower more. He looked around the mountain and he saw, just through the fog at the bottom, a giant collection of wood in the shape of a nest. He saw an indention on the wood and thought that a somewhat large dragon had slept there. But then he remembered...

...dragons don't sleep in nests. They lay them eggs in them. So what could have possibly later an egg that large.

 _ **"WHERE IS HE?! WHERE IS THE HUMAN?!"**_ The voice yelled. Hiccup knew his cover was about to get blown.

 **" Toothless, we better get out of here."** He said. Toothless gave a silent agreement as he lifted his wings to take off. Just then, a dragon's head popped up through the fog. It was at least twice the size of Toothless! He felt fear strike his heart as they made eye contact. He didn't even bother speaking Dragonese.

"Toothless! Now!" The Night Fury launched, creating an maelstrom of dragons as they flew. A zippleback had flown behind them, protecting them from a strike from the massive dragon behind them. They got out before they got killed, but they had another problem...a thousand _other_ dragons trying to attack them. It was a large bundle of claws, flames, and metal.

A large, white dragon swung his claw, leaving a large gash in Hiccup's side. He grunted and was sent fling off Toothless. They went into momentary free-fall when Toothless gained control and flew under Hiccup, catching him. Hiccup attempted to block, but felt his head getting lighter. his vision went blurry.

"Toothless..." He managed, "Go."

Toothless went into a dive and finally out-flew the slower dragons behind them. Hiccup was nearly out of breath while he contemplated everything that had happened. Sure, the fight was short, but he had still been hurt quite a lot. And what was that dragon talking about? Murderers? Thieves? Was it talking about the Scots?

 **"Hiccup, I know what that dragon was."** Toothless said. Hiccup looked at his dragon.

"What? How?"

 **"That was a Queen...I've smelt her before. Not here, but...in Scotland."** Something clicked in Hiccup's mind. Someone stole something from her. There was an empty egg's nest. And the Queen's scent was in Scotland. He had a hunch, just a hunch, but if he was right, Scotland was in for a bloodbath.

He tried to stay up, but blackness took over...and he was gone.

* * *

(Merida's POV)

Merida slowly made her way back to the castle, pondering everything her father had told her. Baljar was going to a Dragon's nest? Why would they go through all this trouble over a stupid rock? Merida went into the castle and was surprised to see no one at the throne. Confusion filled her.

"Mum?" She called out to the crushing silence. There was, expectantly, no answer. She decided to go look for her when a large crash made her jump. She jumped and turned to see Baljar. He was propping himself up with one arm on Toothless, an impossible amount of blood running down his side. He was staring blades at her.

"This..is all..your fault." He said, venom dripping from his voice. Confusion filled her, and then he fell. To Merida, he seemed to fall impossibly slow. As he hit the ground, he bounced, making the sickening sound of flesh hitting concrete. Toothless warbled surprisingly, and grabbed Baljar in his mouth. Merida stood frozen as a mix of emotions filled her, but in the end, concern won, and she went to help Baljar. There wasn't much protest from Toothless, which was understand able. She heard someone gasp. There was a scream and the sound of rushing footsteps. Baljar was taken to the healers,leaving Merida alone with her mother, covered in the blood of a stranger. She was shocked at how fast everything had happened, but it was somewhat understandable. After what seemed as an eternity of silence Merida asked a question that started to plague her mind.

"Mum? Brynjar said...this was all my fault. Wha' was he talkin' about?" Her mother sighed. She stood up and walked to Merida. Queen Elinor looked to her daughter with a mask of great concern, but also immense remorse.

"I don' know, but if it is wha' I _think_ it is, we're all in big trouble. Right now, you need to get some rest, it's getting awfully late." Queen Elinor then hurried out of the room, as if someone was chasing her.

Merida stood there confused for a second, before taking her mother's advice and making her way to her room. On they way to the room, she passed the makeshift hospital, and one look inside revealed to her a weakened dragon rider, his skin had turn pale, breaths coming out in short stops. An nonviable amount of blood covered the floor. Merida felt her stomach weaken at the sight, and hurried away from the depressing sight. She didn't know why, but seeing Baljar like that made her feel...something. She couldn't explain what it was, but it twisted her gut. She felt an incredible amount of remorse towards this boy, though she knew she had no control over it.

When she finally got into her bedroom, she slowly sat down instead of plopping down with exhaustion as she normally did, and she refused to face upwards, instead choosing to look at the wall. She pictured Brynjar's face when he was well, a mix of confidence, concern, and humor. She felt a pounding in her heart, butterflies rose in her stomach. She couldn't explain this feeling, but, strangely...she liked it. As a great uncertainty filled her, she quietly fell asleep, Brynjar's face the last thing seen before unconsciousness took her.

* * *

(Setrina's POV)

Setrina woke up early, with an uneasy feeling in her gut. She couldn't say why, but she knew something was wrong. She just couldn't explain what. She sat up, almost in a sleep-like trance, and made her way outside, passing some of the maids of the castle.

"Poor thing, 'at one. I doubt many-a-man could survive a wound like 'at." One of them said. Setrina stopped, listening to them as they passed.

"He must be tough, but I doubt he'll last very long. Even 'ough he's a dragon rider, no one 'an live through 'at." Setrina understood enough of what they said to put two-and-two together. Brynjar was hurt. Badly. She sprinted through the halls, trying to pin-point where Brynjar was. She looked into each room she came across, until she finally found him. There was medical supplies everywhere, a sense of doom thickening the air. But what really scared her was what was on the bed.

Brynjar was hardly breathing, sweat drenching his features. His skin had gone impossibly pale. His blood had drenched the floor in impossible amounts. Setrina felt fear and grief strike her heart. She slowly made her way toward him. He looked so still, so calm. He looked...no, that can't be it. He was resting. She knelt down next to him, feeling the tears pool up behind her eyes. She brought her face closer, wanting to touch him, make sure he was all right. her fingers brushed his cheek.

Brynjar's hand whipped and grabbed her wrist. Setrina jumped and squealed a little at the sudden scare. Brynjar was breathing heavily, a power in his eyes that wasn't there a few seconds ago.

"Go to Creena...get the others...take Toothless..."Baljar spoke between breaths, having them come out in sharp spurts. Before she could say anything, the power in him went out, and he fell back on the bed, his face taking on the deathly tone it had before. Setrina could examine his words carefully, trying to find any hidden meanings, but the meaning was clear enough.

Brynjar wanted her to get the other dragon riders.

But that would mean leaving him, in such a vulnerable state, in a land full of strangers. She wanted to fulfill his wishes, but she just wasn't sure. She finally made up her mind.

"I'll be back," she told him. "No one's dying on my watch." She then got up and hurried through the castle, trying not to waste a moment. She got outside, immediately greeted with the Queen, King, and Princess. She didn't even look at them, she just hurried past, trying to find Toothless.

"Setrina!" Queen Elinor called. She stopped, irritated. She turned to the Queen.

"Your Highness?" She asked. King Fergus and Merida stood on either side of her.

"Where you goin' in such a rush, lass?" King Fergus asked.

"Brynjar's been hurt. I've got to get back to the village to get the others." She said, trying to close the conversation. The royals had other intentions.

"Well, I don't think you expected to swipe a boat. An' I don' think that the Night Fury will let just any one ride him. How do you plan to get there?" Queen Elinor sounded doubtful. Setrina wasn't.

"By Deadly Nadder." Setrina then turned around, facing the woods. She took a deep breath and let out a Nadder call. She left Stormfly at the village, but she knew...

...Stormfly wouldn't leave her side. A familiar dragon appeared over the treetop and quickly landed at Setrina's feet. She quickly saddled up and turned towards the royals.

"Don't let him die. Please." She then took off, leaving the awe-struck Scots on the ground. She looked forward, hopes and doubts running through her head. " Don't worry, Baljar. I'll be quick."


	10. Chapter 10

(Setrina's POV)

Setrina rode Stormfly for about an three hours before she got to Creena, even at Stromfly's top speed. Stromfly had followed Toothless to Scotland, but she had also made a moral point in her mind marking the location. As soon as they landed, Stormfly collapsed. Setrina took only a few seconds to check on her exhausted dragon before two villagers came and she ran off to find the rest of the team. She bumped into random people as she did so, but she didn't care. She just needed to hurry. She ran into the Hilfa Headquarters, and saw a scene she had missed extremely. Tyna had his nose stuck in a book, while Festa practiced fighting, and Hogva was fast asleep on the couch. She felt an immense amount of relief to see them. When she ran in, they all jumped. Tyna looked frightened, Festa got into a battle stance, and Hogva just looked left to right really quick.

When they saw who jumped in, they immediately moved to greet her. Tyna was the first to reach her.

"Setrina, you're back!" He spoke with almost impossible relief.

"Nice to see you in one piece, boss." Hogva said, rubbing the tired look from his eyes. Festa was the only one to notice something missing from the picture.

"...Where's Brynjar?" She said. Setrina looked at them with a look of complete determination.

"He's been hurt." The team seemed to solemn at that, their faces turning to masks of concern. "We need to go to Scotland."

"When?" Festa said.

"Now." Setrina turned to go get her extra armor.

"Whoa, wait a second, boss. I'm all about going, but we can't just up and leave. We got an entire village to protect, remember?" Hogva voiced.

"Of course, I do. And I wouldn't be insisting if it wasn't important." She started to get irritated. Another moment was a moment Brynjar didn't have.

"Look," Festa said, "I hate to admit it, but he's right. I'm sure whatever bad guy is after him, it isn't too much that he can't handle it."

"...The wound wasn't from a bad guy...it was from a storm cutter. I would recognize those marks anywhere."

"So?" Hogva said. "Not to be rude and all, but it isn't exactly uncommon for a dragon to attack someone every now and then."

"Except," Tyna said, "There's only one Stormcutter alive, and it's been missing for years. If it attacked a dragon rider, it obviously isn't in hiding any more."

"Okay, but it still attacked Brynjar. Maybe he found it's nest."

"And Brynjar would know better than to mess with it, out of all of us."

"And Brynjar had Toothless." Setrina said. "Even a Stormcutter wouldn't mess with a full-grown Night Fury."

"So why were they attacked?" Festa asked, mostly to herself than the others.

"I don't know, but whatever the reason, it was important enough for Brynjar to order me to get you."

"Uh, that still leave's us with the problem of an entire village unprotected." Hogva said.

"This is a village of dragon riders. I think they could do well without us. And the trainees could take care of the village." The trainees were young kids who had just bonded with their dragon. The three kept arguing, until Tyna spoke up.

"...How about someone stays behind with the trainees, and the rest go?" That seemed to shut everyone up.

"I'll stay." Hogva said. "You'll need Tyna's knowledge, Setrina's the only one who knows the way, and Festa's got enough meat to make for the both of us."

"Yea-...HEY!" Festa protested. Setrina thought for a second.

"It's not a bad idea, but are you sure you could handle the trainees?" Setrina asked.

"Sure, just...count on coming back to a few broken bones. Not mine." Festa rolled her eyes while Tyna lightly chuckled.

"All right, then. Let's get ready to leave by tomorrow. That way we can get enough sleep and rest. See you all tomorrow." With that, Setrina went to her quarters to get rest, but she didn't plan on staying long. Brynjar needed her. They were best friends. They knew each other better than anyone. And they depended on one another. That was the only thought that made her content.

* * *

(Merida's POV)

Merida woke up early in the morning. Earlier than she planned to. She tried, desperately, to go back to sleep, but she just couldn't. She decided to go for a walk. She moved through out the labyrinth of stone with a surprisingly slow pace. She decided to pay Brynjar a visit. She couldn't explain it, but there was something about him...if you looked past his sarcastic sense of humor, know-it-all attitude, great looks, caring nature...Merida found herself blushing at the thought of Brynjar, butterflies raising in her stomach. She unknowingly hurried her pace, walking just a bit faster to the hospital. She opened the door to find...no one there. The bed, supplies, and armor were there. But no dragon rider. Merida panicked and began rushing through the halls, worry rising in her for Brynjar. She checked room after room, the kitchen, mess hall, even the throne room. She couldn't find him anywhere. She thought to herself, contemplating.

If I rode dragons, where would I go to think? I would be used to high places.

She suddenly realized. The roof! She rushed up to the storage rooms at the top of the tower, hoping she was right. She climbed up the multiple ladders and out to the top of the tower. Sure enough, there sat the dragon rider, looking over the lands before him.

"Hello, Princess." He said.

"..How did you know it was me?" She asked.

"Because you just answered." He said, Merida rolled her eyes, but on the inside she was relieved.

"You gave me quite a scare, you know." She said, sitting beside him, feeling slightly nauseous at the height they were at.

"I didn't know you cared." He said sarcastically.

"Brynjar, when you...got back...you said that this was all...my fault. Why is that?" Merida probed. She was filled with curiosity. Brynjar sighed.

"I discovered something...very complicated at the nest. Have you seen any, large, boulder-type rocks? it night be an unusual color?" He was speaking in a unusually serious tone. -Merida thought for a moment, then she remembered that a large, red-colored rock had been brought from the trip to the dragon's nest and put in the vault for her...wedding ceremony.

"Yeah, actually. They put it in the treasure room at the base of the castle. Why?" But Brynjar was already up and making his way to the tower door. He grabbed the handle and pulled, only to see it wouldn't budge. He faced Merida.

"You might not possibly know who was behind this, would you?" He asked. Merida felt an anger grow in her.

"I have an idea." She pounded on the doors. "Boys! Open this door." Her demand was met by the giggles of three small children. She groaned in exasperation. Now it was Brynjar's turn. He walked really close to the door.

"You know, my dragon's down there. You'd be left all alone with a vicious Night Fury." The giggling ceased and there was a small huff that signaled Toothless's presence. There was a clank as Merida's brothers opened the door and rushed down. Brynjar opened it.

"After you, Mi'lady." He said teasingly. Merida rolled her eyes, but felt those same butterflies from before rise up. She did as he suggested and went down the ladder first, but because she was afraid he would fall with his wounds. As they made their way through the halls, Merida kept taking sideways glances at him. He was different from the other boys she had met. He wasn't cocky, or fearful, or distant. On his face was an expression of purpose, for something he needed to complete. In her constant glances, she failed to acknowledge the presence of one of the maids walking in the opposing direction of her, and they collided. Merida fell back, eyes closed for the impact, only to feel a force of some sort catch her. She slowly opened her eyes to see Brynjar holding both her and the maid at impossible angles, and balancing the basket the maid was carrying on his knee.

"That was close." He said. He pulled them up and gave the basket to the maid, then turned to Merida."Now, I believe we have a treasure room tho find. Along with your parents."

Brynjar turned and walked off, leaving Merida staring dumb-struck after him. She eventually shook it off and rushed to follow.

* * *

(Astrid's POV)

Astrid woke up later than she expected to, which annoyed her extremely. She had trained herself to wake up earlier than most of the warriors on Berk, so this was an irritating fact to her. She decided to get some errands done, to make up for her laziness. She checked with Stoick to see if anything needed to be done, but only Gobber was there.

"If you could just go down to the black smith's to get some of the weapons fixed, that would be good." he said. She was a little disappointed, but it was something. She grabbed most of the weapons, the ones that needed fixing the most, and proceeded to take them to the Scot's blacksmith. Then the rest of the teens decided to tag along. Ruffnut and Tuffnut started arguing immediately, Snotlout was already hitting on her, and Fishlegs proceeded to spout loads of useless knowledge. It was going to be a normal and _frustrating_ day. She got to the door of the blacksmiths...and dropped all the weapons.

At the anvil, hammering, or now jumping at the sudden noise, was someone who they thought long dead, was Hiccup, doing what he did before he died.

" _Sutarany_ , you scared me." That was it. His nasally voice. He clutched his side and Astrid saw the ghost of a bandage. "Did you need something?" He stood there, looking at them expectantly, while they just stared back. A century seemed to go by. The teens sat therein total shock at this seemingly impossible happening. Astrid had to tell herself, in her mind, over and over, that it wasn't him. This silent exchange went on for a few more moments, until suddenly, it was like something clicked in his mind. "Um, do I know you?"

"You're dead." Astrid got out in almost a whisper.

"I, um, don't think so. Unless I'm a ghost and no one told me." He said. Even his sarcasm hadn't changed. Astrid's mind couldn't comprehend what was happening here. People just don't come back from the dead, and not in a place they've never been to. Was Hiccup really alive all this time?

"H..Hiccup?' Fishlegs muttered. Hiccup's face took on a quizzical look.

"Is this one okay?" He said, gesturing to Fishlegs with one hand.

"There's no way you're alive." Snotlout protested, obviously not happy with the fact that his cousin, and heir to Berk, was still alive. "You were killed by a dragon over _three years_ ago!" Hiccup looked at them weirdly for a second...then laughed. Astrid was now even more confused.

"You know, you almost had me there for a second. Your acting is terrific." He turned back to his work."Did Martin put you up to this?"

"That sounds like a messed up joke," Tuffnut said, "Even for us." Hiccup turned back to the teens.

"Look, I don't know who you are, but you have at least three seconds to get out of here. You can just leave whatever you need fixing by the window and pick it up in a few hours." He continued to hammer away at the metal in front of him. Astrid searched her mind for something, _anything_ , to say to this boy to allow them to stay, but she just couldn't. Instead, she picked up the weapons, put them by the window, and left. She walked back to the encampment a little slower than she walked away from it. Stoic the Vast was about to be in for the shock of a lifetime.

* * *

(Hiccup's POV)

Hiccup continued banging on the metal in front of him. When he was sure the teens were no longer there, he put down his hammer and set to steady himself on the stones in front of him. Seeing the torture of his past brought back immense pain the first time. Hearing his name almost made him slip. Hearing them day he was dead...well, wasn't that the point. He couldn't imagine what his father was going through, but he had to maintain this charade for a little bit longer. And he realized something.

He had to tell his teammates the truth. He had tried to bury his past, but some part of him knew it would eventually catch up with him. His teammates wouldn't take the news well, but they had to find out from him. Just then there was the roar of a Monstrous Nightmare. Right on time. He walked out, leaving the blacksmith's apron and the experimental armor. He rushed to meat up with his old teammates, which was hard with his limp. And just as he suspected, they were surrounded by Scottish guards, as he was when he arrived. Which, of course didn't sit with the dragons very well at all.

 **Leader** , Hogva's Gronkle, Iron, said, **Please tell these soldiers we mean them no harm.**

"You guys can stop now, they won't hurt you." Hiccup stated, which didn't seem to calm the soldiers down at all.

"How can we know for sure." A guard said, his voice surprisingly thin of the Scottish accent. Hiccup turned to the dragons.

" **You promise not to kill anyone if they put their weapons down?** " Hiccup asked, more for show than to actually make sure. He knew the dragons wouldn't hurt anyone.

 **Of course, leader,** the Nightmare said, playing along with the charade.

"They won't hurt you." Hiccup said.

"How can you know." A different guard asked, this one's voice surprisingly clear of a Scottish accent as well.

"Because they just told me." He stated. The guards still seemed skeptical, but lowered their weapons none the less. Hiccup approached his team with a serious tone.

"We need to talk." He said.


	11. Chapter 11

(Hiccup's POV)

Hiccup stood there with his arms crossed, facing away from his teammates, waiting for whatever punishment they had for store for him. He waited in a silent anxiousness as they sat there silent, processing what they had just learned. Hogva was the first to speak.

"So...you were in a clan of Vikings, but then left and lied to an entire clan, including you're friends and teammates, for years."

"Hogva..." Festa protested. Hiccup turned to face them.

"No, Festa. I'm trying really hard to understand right now." Hogva yelled.

"It's not as bad as it seems." Hiccup said.

"Yes, it is! Were you ever planning on telling us? Like at all? You know all our pasts." Hogva was getting more irritated by the second.

"Yes, I was. But not right away."

"Right away? Right away?! I've been with you for _TWO YEARS_! How is that not right away?" Hogva yelled.

"...It's just all complicated."

"It didn't have to be. We've followed you for all this time, and for what? All you've done is lie. Each time you said you forgot, that was just another lie. Has anything you said to us ever been true?"

"Of course it has. I just wasn't ready."

"You...weren't ready? What about me? Or Festa? What we went through was three times worse than what you went through!"

"I'm not as strong as you or Festa."

"Obviously not." Setrina stayed silent. What really killed Hiccup was not Hogva's anger, or Festa's pity, but the fact his best friend couldn't even face him.

"...He's right." Tyna said, almost in a whisper. Hiccup focused his gaze at Tyna.

"About what?" Hiccup asked.

"All of it. You lied, deceived. You gave me a false hope. That someone who went through what I did could get back from it like you did. But it was all just a lie."

"Tyna..." Festa said in a pleading voice. Tyna turned on her with an anger they had not seen out of him ever.

"What Festa? You're just going to stand there and support this... _bastard_. After all the lying, you're just going to tell me it's going to be okay."

It's funny how someone's words can hurt you, no matter how tough you are. Like a crossbow to the heart.

"...He doesn't deserve to be protected..."

...You just pull back...

"...He doesn't deserve our friendship...

...aim..

"...not yours, mine, Hogva's..."

...and fire.

"...And certainly not Setrina's." Tyna turned to Hiccup. On the inside he was broken to a million pieces, but outside he was as Stoick as his namesake. Tyna got into his face, to leave an impression.

"I hope I never see you again." With that he stomped over to his Nightmare and flew off. Hogva seemed just as surprised as the next person to hear Tyna's sudden outburst, but none the less he followed the example and stormed off to his Gronkle, all the while staring at Hiccup. Setrina was no where to be seen. When he took off, Festa turned to him.

"Just...give them some time. They're in shock."

"...They're right." Hiccup said. "I made a mistake. I shouldn't have stayed past the first month, much less three years."

"So that's it? You hear a few angry words and you...give up? I'm sorry, but the person I know, the one I trained with, is stronger than that."

"Not anymore. How can you stand there so calm after finding out I lied to you."

"By understanding you. I've been in your situation-"

"You're situation was far worse than mine. The wanted you to kill someone-"

"They wanted you to kill a dragon. For you, for us, those two are one in the same. We just had different ways off coping with it."

"That still doesn't make up for the lying."

"Hiccup, when you left, you were just a scared, weak kid, with almost no experience and no knowledge of the outside world. I don't blame you for being scared." Hiccup sighed.

"I hope you can be this calm when you tell the others."

"...tell them what?"

"That I'm leaving." Festa's turned to a mask of shock.

"You can't leave. After all you've done for us, been for us, it would tear them apart. I told you, you can't just run away again."

"I'm not running away...I'm dying." The shock only grew in Festa.

"...What?"

"That dragon that cut me, the Stormcutter...it had talons laced with a poison. I'm guessing I have about a month, at best." Festa had no words. She just looked at Hiccup in a complete shock, tears building up behind her eyes. "I don't want you feeling sorry for me. In my line of work, it's an occupational hazard." He inwardly flinched as he remembered it was something his father had said. Maybe there was no getting rid of you're roots.

"...All right." Festa rubbed her eyes. "So what do you want to do?"

"Finish the mission."

* * *

(Merida's POV)

Merida was pacing back and forth while worry filled her for the dragon rider. She didn't know what to feel. She was so confused. She knew she had grown affectionate to Brynjar, but to what extent? She continued to walk when there was a knock at the door. Her head swiveled on her shoulders at the sudden sound.

"Merida? Can I talk to you sweetheart?" Queen Elinor said. Merida felt her hopes fall as disappointment filled her. She knew what this was about. She didn't need all this confusion right now. And she had told her mum she didn't want to get married. She attempted to stay as quiet as possible so her mum would think she wasn't here.

"Merida? I know you're in there, it's important." Merida groaned, realizing there was no way that she was going to win this one and opened the door.

"What is it, mum?" Merida asked, her irritation clearly visible.

"Brynjar is asking to see you're dowry. Do you have idea why?" She asked. Merida remembered the conversation she and Brynjar had the other day, but her imagination was running. What if...no, it was too crazy. But what if? She suddenly felt excitement fill her. She wanted Brynjar to see it.

"No, but if he wants to see it, I say we let him. It can't hurt, right?" Queen Elinor looked at her.

"A few weeks ago, you doubted his existence, now you want to allow him to go through your dowry. I'm starting to think you fancy him." Merida felt herself blush as panic and embarrassment filled her.

"NO, it's just...well, he's a dragon rider. If he wants to do something, it must be for a good reason." Queen Elinor looked at her daughter up and down, as if studying her being. Merida felt confusion and anxiety fill her as Queen Elinor continued to study her.

"...All right." She said. She left and Merida gave a sigh of relief. Maybe it would be best to keep her feelings to herself. How would her parent, siblings, and the rest of Scotland react to her love interest. She immediately perked up. Did she just use the word 'love'? Of course not, that's silly. Then again...Merida shook her head to get her thoughts clear. Maybe a ride with Angus would clear her head.

Merida made her way outside and to the stables, hurrying to her beloved horse. She hadn't rode him in a while, and she was looking forward to it, since it was her first and _only_ ride in this week. She quickly found Angus and continued to put on the saddle and equipment. She got on and directed Angus to the woods.

She let Angus take charge, feeling the freedom of speed and the coolness of the air. If only she could be like this forever. Free, without a worry in the world. She continued to enjoy the ride Angus was giving her, until he stopped suddenly, sending her flying forward and into the ground. Merida felt a mix of pain and confusion, bruising her body like a fire. She got up, tears chocking her throat.

"Angus!" she managed to get out. The horse whinnied and reared, clearly frightened by something. Merida looked at him confused, then looked to the left...

...A dragon.

It had two large legs, and a large head, a tail covered with spikes. It looked at her wit a quizzical eye. Merida backed up against the tree, in fear for what this dragon might do to her. Angus ran off, scared under the threat of the fire-breathing lizard. Merida was too consumed by fear and worry to call after him, instead choosing to let him go for his sake. A century seemed to pass neither of them chose to look away. She just kept her eyes looking straight into this strange creatures. It slowly got closer, getting low to the ground, as a predator to a prey. Merida felt a sense of emotions, panic, fear, defeat, grief. Merida closed her eyes and faced away, putting her hand forward as to fend off the on-coming doom. Suddenly, she felt something smooth, scaly, and warm touch her hand. She dared to open her eyes and look forward. She beheld an impossible sight.

The dragon was moving it's nose like it was being petted. It was making a small cooing noise, like a cat or bird, but not quite that. Merida laughed with relief at the sudden irony of the situation. Here she was expecting to be killed in the forest, but she had, dare she say...trained a dragon.

"Well." A male voice said. Both Merida's and the dragon's heads moved as one to the source of the voice. It was Brynjar. He was standing there with his arms crossed and a pleased look on his face.

"I guess Scotland now has a dragon rider."

* * *

(Setrina's POV)

Setrina sat in the castle, staring at the cobblestones. She couldn't believe this. Only an hour ago, she had told herself that there were no secrets between her and Bry-...Hiccup. It was so hard to get used to. Like all the others, she had been surprised by the sudden revelation, but she hadn't taken it as hard as some of the others. Festa was the only one who was sympathetic. It's understandable seeing as how they had been in similar situations, but Festa's was far worse, and she hadn't hidden it like he had. She suddenly remembered what Tyna had said and became angry. She _had_ been lied to, she _had_ been deceived. Did he even care? Was he even the slightest bit sorry? He had shown no emotion when the argument had occurred. He didn't care, did he?

Setrina shook her head. When had she become this spiteful? She wasn't supposed to be angry. Even though he had lied about his past, his present couldn't be faked. He nearly got himself killed when he was first training Setrina. Why go through all that trouble for someone you cared nothing about? She then felt regret. She had let her best friend be crucified and she had done nothing to help him. But then she felt confusion. Festa had been ordered to kill a child, but Hiccup had been ordered to kill a dragon. He didn't have it as bad, but there must have been something that made him hide his past. What about his family? They were here, but what did they do to make him run away? Setrina was so lost in thought, she didn't notice the figure suddenly appear behind her. When she noticed it, she thought it was Hiccup, and turned to greet him, but was met with a different face.

"Oh, it's just you." She said. The figure got closer. "...What are you doing?"

It pounced.

* * *

(Astrid's POV)

Astrid stood in front of Stoick the Vast, watching closely as he processed this new information. It seemed to take a century until he said something.

"I want to see him." He said. Astrid understood, but was still surprised by it.

"...Um, right now?"

"Of course, right now! I want to see my son. If he really is alive, even if he doesn't remember, it would help me a lot." Astrid nodded once and walked out of the shack, with Stoick close behind.

"Last time I saw him, he was at the blacksmith." They walked to the Scott's blacksmith, which for some reason was connected to the castle. They walked next to it, only to not see Hiccup, but some strange brown-haired girl just standing there with her arms crossed just looking up at the sky. She had on black armor, but instead have having spiked edges or even just completely smooth, her edges looked as if they were rounded at the ends. She continued to look up at the sky.

"Um, hello?" Astrid said.

"Hi." The girl never took her eyes from the sky.

"Um, I'm looking for the boy who was in the blacksmith's shop."

"Look up." She said.

"Um, I'm not sure what you-" she started, but was interrupted by someone yelling.

"Do you think this is high enough?!" Hiccup yelled. Astrid looked up to see Hiccup on top of the tallest tower there was. Astrid felt a pang of panic, confusion, and fear.

"Sure, if you're looking to get yourself killed!" The girl said.

"You worry to much, Festa!" He yelled.

"I don't worry! I examine!" The girl, Festa, yelled. "If Setrina comes and sees you, you're dead, you know that, right?!"

"Then let's hope she doesn't see me!" With that, he disappeared from Astrid's line of sight. Astrid looked around that general area, but Hiccup had disappeared from sight. She looked at the brunette girl next to her.

"What exactly is he planning on doing?" She asked her.

"Just look." Festa said stoneley. Astrid sighed and looked back at the tower, waiting. After a few seconds, there was a thwip sound and a thunk. Astrid wasn't sure what it was, but she didn't have time to think about it. Because she saw Hiccup launch into the air. She didn't know if he was thrown or he was launched, but she knew he was inhumanly high. He went up about a few feet, which, given the height of the tower, was very high, and seemed to slow.

Then he fell. He fell towards them at a free-fall. Astrid knew he wasn't going to survive that, in her being she knew. What was the point of this? Was he planning on killing himself? Just when it looked like he was about to land, he jerked in mid-air and glided over them. Astrid dunked on instinct, and turned, having her eyes following the flying man. Astrid trailed him as he glided in a circle around the castle, maneuvering between the towers like they were trees. He pulled up a little and pulled his arms and legs in, doing a mid-air barrel roll. As he did these tricks and maneuvers, Astrid looked at him with a mix of fear, respect, compassion, and confusion. He certainly wasn't Hiccup the Useless anymore. She suddenly worried how he was going to land.

"Move." Festa said. Astrid looked at her with confusion. But she backed up with her nonetheless. She turned back to Hiccup. His body aimed for them, and he turned in mid-air. He landed in a somersault and twisted so he was on his feet, planting a large knife in the ground, using it to slow his slide. But not without leaving a large carve mark in the ground, like a farmer had brought a hoe onto it. He stood up and straightened himself. He looked for a second at Astrid, but then turned to Festa.

"So, what needs changing?" He asked.

"Your sanity...and the calibration needs some work, so you can turn easier in mid-air."

"Well, I'll go and fix that. And _you_ need to go and eat something. I'll join you in a few minutes." Festa gave a small chuckle.

"And _actually_ come this time. I don't need to be dragging you all over Scotland so you can have some food."

"Whatever."

"...Brynjar...why are we _really_ here? I have a hunch it just doesn't have to do with armor." Hiccup sighed.

"I'll tell you at dinner. Just go, all right." He said, a little exasperation showing. Astrid looked at Hiccup with a mix of wonder and aghast, thoughtfully processing how much he had changed. His physique, his voice, his nature... _being alive_. Astrid wondered how the fish-bone back on Berk had survived all these years, plus an attack by a Night Fury. Hiccup turned to her.

"If you insist on annoying me, then at least use my real name. I don't know who you are, but I am Brynjar." He held out his hand to her. Astrid was confused for a moment, but shook the confusion off and shook his hand. He turned to Stoick.

"I'm guessing you must be their leader." He said. Astrid felt more confusion.

"What makes you say that?" She asked.

"Well, he looks older, hinting he must be an elder, and you have a different aura around him. One of respect."

"Aura?" He moved his hand as if to wave it off.

"Doesn't matter. So, in all due respect, why are you here, exactly?"

"We," this time Stoick answered,"are renewing a treat with the Scottish before the ice blocks our home."

"Ice? So you're from up North."

 _He's_ smart, Astrid thought, _I'll give him that._

"Yes. Have you been there?" Stoic questioned.

"Once, a few days ago. I was on a mission." He answered nonchalantly. Hopefully the village hadn't seen him, that would've been disasterous.

"What kind?"

"Does it matter? Anyway, I've got to get prepped for dinner _and_ finish your weapons. Give me half an hour. Oh, and please don't bother Toothless. He gets grumpy this time of day."

"Who's Toothless?" There was suddenly a low growl behind her. A dragon. She whipped around with her hands in a defensive position, but remembered that they were all unarmed. There in front of them was...

...A Night Fury. Astrid froze, staring down the beast. This demon. This monster. This-

"-is Toothless." He said. He walked up to the beast. "How ya doin', bud?" He scratched the dragon under the chin, causing it to purr like a cat. It rolled like a tame pet at his feet. Astrid's jaw dropped at the sight. How in the Hel did...What was going on? Hiccup the useless, not so useless anymore, had the unholy offsring of lightning and death rolling at his feet like an overgrown cat.

"Who exactly are you?" He looked at her like he was crazy. He did a few inchoherrent sounds at the dragon, and it waddled off. It _listened_! He turned toward her.

"...I'm the dragon rider."


	12. Chapter 12

(Hiccup's POV)

Hiccup walked towards the dining area, his dragon by his left side, his past by his other. He didn't want to think about them. How they had tormented him most of his life, only to become friends when he was almost turned a killer. He just kept a straight face as he walked, the silence almost unbearable next to these people. Almost.

"...So...you're the dragon rider?" Astrid asked. Hiccup could almost groan in annoyance, but kept his groan down.

"That _would_ explain the dragon." He said, using sarcasm to hide his feelings.

"...What kind of dragon is that?" She asked.

"A Night Fury." Like she didn't already know that. Sure, viking has ever seen one, but if a pitch-black dragon can sneak up on a warrior totally unnoticed, that doesn't leave many options on what it could be.

"...How on earth did you tame a Night Fury?"

"I didn't tame him. He's been my friend for as long as I can remember." He said. Yet another lie on his conscious.

"And how long was that?" Hiccup looked at her annoyed.

"Why are you so interested about my life?" He said, a little more forceful than he meant to. Toothless noticed his irritation and growled lightly.

"I'm sorry, I was just curios." She said, shutting up. Hiccup sighed. Toothless bounded away, probably after some prey, leaving Hiccup alone with these two past acquaintances that had become alien strangers to him. He hurried through the castle gates towards his chambers. It suddenly occurred to him this would be the first time in public wearing normal clothes. He was worried. About what the people who were a little against the idea of riding dragons would do. How the royals might react. How Merida-

He stopped himself. Merida? since when had he cared what she thought of him? Perhaps that night...

"Is everything okay, Brynjar?" Astrid asked. His sudden stop in motion allowed them to catch up. He shook his head, as if it would help to clear his mind.

"Fine. Just some strange thoughts." He continued his fast past pace and found that the others had to nearly jog to keep up. He smiled to himself, happy that he was no longer "useless" compared to them. In fact, he had excelled past them. Perhaps he and Astrid could have a battle one day and he would prove to be a superior fighter. But for now his petty reasoning would have to wait. He needed to survive dinner first. He walked into his room and quickly got changed. As he took his shirt off, he saw the still-black scar on his side, a reminder of his impending doom. He froze for about a second with the grief and the entirety of it, but cast it aside, as if death were not a thing he needed to worry of right now. He walked into the dining area and was surprised to see how little people were actually there. The royals, Festa and Setrina, and the Vikings. Up until now, he thought that, like Creena and Berk, everyone ate in the same place. This would take some getting used to, along with many things in this foreign land.

"Ah, Brynjar!" King Fergus announced, quite loudly. "There you are! I didn't hear you come in."

"My apologies, your highness. Sometimes I go stealth without realizing it." Hiccup walked over and sat between Festa and Setrina. He noticed Setrina's uneasiness, but did nothing to comfort it.

"Go stealth?" King Fergus said, as if trying the question like a new type of food. "I like it. It sounds...mysterious." Merida had straightened up a little when Hiccup's presence was announced, but he thought not much of it.

"So, Brynjar," Queen Elinor asked, a bit more serious. "You wanted to see the dowry for our daughter's wedding. In the most respectable way, why?"

"I was informed that there were objects form the dragon's nest in your daughter's dowry. If my suspicions are correct, then there is something in there that needs to be removed." He could hear the murmuring on the Viking's part as he mentioned the nest, and could feel the girls share a glance.

"What, pray tell, is it?" She asked. Hiccup hesitated, not sure how to tell them. "Brynjar, if there's something we need to know..." Hiccup suddenly felt the totality of eleven pairs of eyes weigh in on him. He sighed.

"A dragon's egg." He felt the girl's tension release. He could understand, a dragon egg wasn't that big, so it didn't pose that much of a threat. However, this wasn't an ordinary dragon's egg.

"Oh. Well, that does present a problem. How big of a threat is this?"

"Extremely big." The King and Queen contemplated on this while the vikings exchanged several worrying glances. Their worry was understandable, even if they didn't know all the details. Queen Elinor spoke to him.

"Well, if it's that big of a threat, then I give you permission to check the treasury for it. You may only remove the egg, though, and it will have to be thoroughly checked, to make sure it isn't anything else. If you are caught with any of the other items in the treasury are missing, then you will be caught and severely punished. Understood?"

"Of course, your highness. May I check it now?"

"Go ahead." Hiccup signaled Festa to follow him as one of the guards lead them to the treasury. He could hear the voices behind him resume, including Setrina's. was she so angry at him that she wouldn't even talk in his presence? It didn't matter now, they needed to focus on the mission, and complete it before... _it_ happened. They walked until they came to a thick wooden door. They guard unlocked it and the two dragon riders stepped inside.

It was filled with gold, jewels, and other unidentifiable objects. It was a heaven for any raiders or thieves. All these riches, but Hiccup ignored it, because in the middle of all these riches was a large red boulder, almost his size. He walked up slowly to it and put his ear to it. Silence, but if he concentrated...a small thump. A heartbeat. He backed away two steps.

"This is it." He said. Festa seemed to be consumed by disbelief.

" _This_ is it?! Gods above, it's _huge_! What kind of Dragon could make something like this anyway?" She continued to ogle the rock as Hiccup remembered the nest.

"...the Queen."

* * *

(Setrina's POV)

(In the Morning)

Setrina woke up, dazed and confused. Her arm felt weird under her leathers, and she scratched it vigorously. What happened to her? She couldn't remember anything. She stood up and walked out of a...cave of some sort. Weird. She looked around and saw the castle. Maybe she would take about it to Festa, see if she saw anything strange, too.

* * *

(TIME SKIP)

Setrina felt a cloud disappear as Bryn-...Hiccup left. The name would still take some getting used to. Although, it was pretty funny. As she thought about the oddness of the name, she felt the ghost of a smile appear across her face. she mentally chastised herself. Even when she was supposed to be mad at him, she just couldn't. It was like trying to get mad at herself. But as she found out his past, she felt...something disappear. She didn't know what, but it was something.

"Dear girl, is he always that...distant?" It took a while to figure out the Queen was talking to her.

"Oh, yes, your highness. As long as I've known him." She said.

"Do you have any idea on earth what could've happened to him?" She felt the Vikings pay a little more attention.

"No, your highness. He doesn't like talking about his past."

"Is he hiding it?" She asked. This was getting a little more personal.

"He can't remember. He washed up on the shores of our village about three years ago, with a Night Fury protecting him. Didn't remember a thing." Was she going to start lying for him? After all of this was she still his good friend?

"I imagine that it mustn't have been easy for your village to trust him."

"..Excuse me, your highness, but I feel this is all a little personal, if you don't mind."

"Oh, of course, I understand." _Do you?_ She thought. _Do you really?_ If she had gone through a similar experience, then she would have thought so. But she hadn't. The thing was, she had thought that her and Brynjar, or Hiccup, had been the closest of friends. Now, she wasn't sure if she could trust anybody completely anymore. And how was he planning on winning back her friendship? Through kindness? Honesty? More lies? She proceeded to go over the past occurrences she had with Hiccup, and remembered how much he had moved away from talking about this past. He would always get this look, like someone had stolen his favorite journal, and move into the confines of his room. She suddenly found herself wondering what had happened to make Hiccup so distant about his past. Her thoughts were interrupted by a guard walking in, a deathly look on his face.

"Your highness, they found the egg."

"Good. Tell them to bring it to me so I can make sure that it's the real thing."

"Um, your highness, with all respect, I don't think that's absolutely necessary."

"And why on earth not?" Just as she asked that question, Hiccup and Festa walked into the room, pulling a large boulder tied with ropes. It wasn't much the _size_ that surprised Setrina, but the colors. It seemed to have the all colors of the sunset mixed with the nightly glow of the moon and streaks of gray appearing here and there. It was scraggly on two points, the top or the bottom, but the sides were smooth and thick. And then, after a few seconds, it thumped loudly, giving a thick ray of light as it did so. Setrina was both amazed and horrified by this. Dragons tended to be twice the size of their eggs when they hatched, so this baby would be bigger than Toothless when it hatched. And hungry.

"What...the... _Hell_!" Astrid said under her breath, but loudly enough for her to hear. And the rest of the table. Normally, there would be an outburst at this language, but the Scots seemed to be too busy staring at this strange object.

"...What kind of dragon made that? And how did it get in our castle?" King Fergus said.

"Well, I'm guessing that when those explorers found the dragon's nest, they brought this back, thinking it was a strange crystal of some sort. That's why the dragon's attacked them." Hiccup stated.

"But why would all the dragons attack over one egg that obviously wasn't theirs?" Setrina asked, unknowingly out loud.

"Because," Brynjar stated,"This isn't just any egg. It's the queen dragon's egg, Red Death."

Setrina froze at this revelation. A queen? Something commanding the other dragons, and not to mention filled with blistering fury over the loss of her egg? This wasn't good, especially if the dragons were to try and find it, leading them to Scotland, in who knows _how_ many numbers. But then anger replaced worry in Setrina. Had Hiccup hidden this from her? He must have known, since he went to the Dragon's nest to investigate. Why had he hidden this from her. Setrina continued to go over this time after time in her head while the others argued in their usual roles, as the vikings being the instigators, and Hiccup being the one to calm them down. Setrina blocked them from her mind. She still couldn't believe how much of her so called friend she _didn't_ know. How can you think you know so much about a person, only to then be brought back down to earth by total strangers? After a while, apparently Hiccup had calmed them down and they had left, leaving them both alone in the dining area. An awkward silence had been introduced, until Hiccup broke it.

"So...I guess you'll be wanting an explanation." Hiccup said.

"How could you keep it a secret?" Setrina asked. Hiccup sighed.

"If you're referring to the dragon egg, I didn't even know it existed until a few hours ago. I would have told you, but you weren't exactly up for talking at the moment." He aid. She felt her anger go down. Not because he had a good excuse, but because she felt guilty that she had ignored him. It didn't quench all of her fire though.

"And what about your secret? Why did you hide _that_?" She asked, trying to look as angry as possible.

"When I got to Creena, I was a scared kid. I couldn't take care of myself, and I thought that if you knew I was a viking, you would think of me differently, like a 'savage'." Setrina winced. She had mentioned how Vikings were savages once during training. "And when I...ran away...I wanted to get rid of my past. I wanted to have no part of it. So I changed my name and lived in Creena."

"Why? What was so bad about your past you wanted to keep it away?" He sighed again.

"...I was small when I was born. Not a bad thing amongst Creenians or Scots, but with Vikings, it was a crime, basically. Although, since I was the Chief's son, I wasn't banished. But as I grew up, I faced endless torment about how small I was, and how I was an embarrassment to the tribe. So I tried to impress them by...attempting to kill a dragon. Instead, I ended up causing more chaos than needed. Then, one day, I shot down Toothless." Setrina gasped. He...shot down Toothless? She never even thought he could be capable of something like that. "I found him in the forest, and I was ready to kill him. But instead I let him go. A few days later, I found him trapped in a cove. So I studied him, seeing him as an opportunity to prove myself to the others. But soon, it became more than that. We bonded, in a way that I didn't with any other person. Then, the vikings chose me to be the one to kill the dragon, as a test of true strength. I couldn't do it, so...I ran away. When I did, I changed my name, my identity, because I wanted nothing to do with that place."

"...But, I still don't understand...what about your father, why didn't you talk with him about it?" Hiccup scoffed.

"He was hardly the model parent. The blacksmith was more of a father to me than him."

"So...why didn't you try to change them, teach them to ride a dragon."

"When I left, I was a scared, upset little kid. I wasn't thinking clearly. Plus, I doubt a whole village that was taught how to kill a dragon eighty different ways would suddenly change generations of tradition on the word of an outcast."

"...Do you regret it?...Leaving?" She asked

"Sometimes, I wish I could've found a different way, but...I just don't see it. It was where I lived, but...it was never really my home." He sounded genuinely regretful. Setrina started to feel sad for him. "I regret not trying. I regret being afraid. But some good came out of my leaving. I met you, Festa, Hogva, Tyna...sometimes, I wonder what could've turned out different." Setrina decided to lighten the mood.

"You never know, they could've made you their chief." She said, in a non-serious tone. Hiccup looked at her incredulously for a moment. Then burst out laughing. It sounded so happy, genuine, that Setrina couldn't help but join in. They laughed for a minute before the calmed down. Setrina recognized that their friendship had been renewed.

"At least you're talking to me." Hiccup said to her. "The silence with Tyna and Hogva is killing me."

"Yeah, me too. Who knew Tyna could blow up like that?" Setrina asked, remembering Tyna's outburst. He seemed so...unlike himself. She didn't like it.

"I hope they get better, otherwise it's going to leave some very unclear consciences, and I don't want that." He said. His face turned into a somber mask, which made Setrina warm up inside. Whatever spark had gone before, it sure as hell was back now. She was suddenly uncomfortable and awkward in his presence.

"...Well, I'm going to go and check on the dragons."She said quickly, standing up fast. Not waiting for an answer, she ran out. As she hurried to the stables, face red with heat, she failed to notice a blonde viking standing outside the door, a face of sadness and anger on her face.

Setrina burst into the bathing room and took off her armor and leathers, to clean herself. After all that's happened, she needed to relax. When she looked at her arm, she was filled with horror. It was a tattoo. One of a ring.

* * *

(Astrid's POV)

Astrid felt immense anger at Hiccup. How dare he? Why would anyone want to leave Berk? Especially the chief's son. It made no sense to her. But then again, they _had_ kind of cast him out. And he was a fish bone, he couldn't have _possibly_ became the chief of the village. But what about now? He was obviously stronger now. Not just _anyone_ could train the offspring of life and death. But then again, he lied to his village, his family, his _blood_. That was a crime that needed reckoning, and she planned to teach him a full lesson. She stormed into the dining area.

"Hiccup!" She yelled. Hiccup froze, and opened his mouth to say something, but Astrid stopped him. "Don't say anything. I heard it all." She said, voice dripping hostility. He froze, then sighed.

"Well, I didn't plan on keeping it a secret _this_ long. Whatever, what do you want Astrid?" He said.

"I want to let you know something. You are a disgrace. A liar and a coward. You are not worthy of the dirt on my shoe, or anything else. You disgust me." She said. There was a few seconds of silence.

"...And?" Hiccup said. Astrid was caught off guard. She had insulted his entire being and he responded with "and?" Like he was expecting more. "Is that it? Wow, you have gotten more calm."

"What are you talking about?" She asked, fury building up.

"Normally, I would expect you to be ripping my spine out of my body by now." He said nonchalantly, as if he wasn't afraid of her. Which made her more angry.

"Why shouldn't I?" She asked, attempting to make him back out like people normally did with her.

"I welcome you to try. You won't have much success, though. You're not as skilled as me. But, I'm offering you a way to blow off some steam." He said. He seemed cocky to her, almost as cocky as Snotlout.

"I'm going to make you beg for mercy." She said in the most threatening voice she could manage. Then he did something she thought only a crazy person would do. He stood up, took off his armor so he was in his leathers, and put his weapons on the table. Then he stood a few feet in front of Astrid, completely vulnerable, looking her straight in the eye, face as calm as it could be. It sent Astrid over the edge. She lunged at him and swung her fist, aiming for his stomach. When it was about to make contact, he was suddenly behind her. She stumbled and turned around quickly and lunged at him again. This time he was off to her left, so she turned and tried to use her foot to kick him. He leaned back as it sailed over his chest. She fell, but got up quickly. Now she was lunging at him wildly, trying to make contact, trying to find something, anything, to give her the upper hand. But she couldn't even graze him. At one point she had him against a wall, and made to punch him, but he ran up and kicked off the wall, sailing over her by inches, as her hand made contact with the stone wall. After a few minutes, she collapsed, breathing hard on her knees, sweat drenched her and all her limbs burned. She looked at Hiccup. He hadn't even tired. He looked bored, of all things.

"Are you calm?" He asked. She felt anger rise in her, but was too tired to do anything about it, so she just nodded. "Good. Now, let's get you cleaned up." He picked her up and put her around his shoulder, which she didn't like at al, and she was filled with curiosity as she found he had put his armor on in less then twelve seconds. She was carried to the bathing house, and she had gathered enough strength to clean herself.

"Now, please, don't take too long." He said, and left her there, alone with her thoughts.

* * *

(Merida's POV)

Merida walked through the forest, completely oblivious to the outside world, lost in thought. All the while, she thought of Brynjar. Her faced warmed as she remembered their time on the rooftop of the castle. She day-dreamed of him, no matter how many times she told herself not to. It was worrying, but exciting at the same time. Could this be what love felt like? Would she allow herself to fell it? She was pulled from her thoughts by a familiar Nadder. She almost screamed, but reminded herself that she was safe. she smiled at the dragon, unsure for the first time what to do.

"I still have to name, don't I?" She said. The Nadder cooed at her, and another question raised in her mind. "Are you a boy or a girl?" She asked it. It growled softly, causing more confusion.

"A girl." Someone said. It was Brynjar. She jumped, but calmed herself and looked at him. He was in all armor. She still couldn't get over how he looked. The way his confidence carried him, that smile he always wore raising a heat in-

 _What am I doing?!_ She yelled to herself, wanting to smack herself for being so naïve. Instead she got her mind off of it by asking a question.

"How can you tell?" she asked, hoping not to give any sign of what she was thinking.

"Because she told me." He said. Merida felt herself raise her signs to red. Did he just say...she told him? He also said a while back that he told Toothless something. Now Merida started to get worried, until he made a series of noises the dragon, in which she seemed to react by making another series of sounds. Merida was surprised, but even more so when the dragon flew off. she got worried.

"Where's it going?" she asked.

"Hunting." He said calmly. Merida turned to him. It dawned on her that she was alone in the woods with this boy that made her heart flutter. She blushed and turned to hide it. "Are you okay?" He asked. She calmed herself and turned to him.

"I'm fine. So how did you talk to my dragon?" She asked, desperate to talk about _anything_ else.

"Well-" He started, but stopped and suddenly fell over, clutching his stomach. Merida backed up surprised, and felt fear as he hit the ground, apparently unconscious. She stared at him a few moments, then looked back and forth quickly, seeing if anybody was there. No one. She called several times for help, but it was obvious that she was too far for anyone to hear her. She then made up her mind and grabbed Brynjar, not caring for the butterflies in her stomach, and dragged him through the forest to the castle.


	13. Chapter 13

(Hiccup's POV)

Hiccup felt his head lighter then air, his stomach a dull stinging as his body seemed to float as if in water. It was such a strange, yet amusing sensation. It filled him with confusion and joy. He had no idea how to react to this new sensation. So he did what he felt was appropriate. He laughed. Somewhere next to him he heard a voice. It was dull, deep, but recognizably a females. It was too high to be Festa's, but too warped, somehow, to be Setrina's. When he heard the voice ask a concerned question, he immediately ruled out Astrid. So that left one person.

"Merida?" He asked. There was a sound of confirming. "I feel like a fish." He said. In his current state, that felt appropriate, and comical, which caused him to laugh again. He suddenly had this craving for food. Which made him think of Toothless. "Where's Toothless?"

There was a warble at his side, signaling his friend was there with him. He put an arm out and touched his snout, barely recognizable to him. Toothless's scales felt so smooth, and the ridges made Hiccup tickle, causing him to laugh again.

After that was all a blur. Laughter, warped voices, splashes of colors in his eyes. Hiccup couldn't make any of it out, only nonsense that he thought he could make out. He responded blindly to all of the words and comments he heard. But he felt so tired. So he fell asleep.

* * *

(Merida's POV)

Merida had stayed by his side on the bed, even when they gave him the painkillers. She watched him the entire time he slept, even though she realized it wasn't very appropriate. She smiled wide when he woke up. But of course, the drugs ruined the experience. He groaned and moved.

"Brynjar? Are you all right?" She asked him, concerned.

"Merida?" He said, groggy. She smiled wider when he recognized her. "I fell like a fish." He said, then laughed. Merida was shocked by the bizarre question, but his laughter was contagious, so she ended up laughing as well.

"Do you want anything?" She asked when her laughter died down.

"Where's Toothless?" He asked. The Night Fury warbled next to him, and Brynjar reached up and sloppily rubbed his nose, laughing all the while. Merida had never heard him laugh truly like this, laughing of pure joy and not humor, she realized it was the best sound in the world. She couldn't help but laugh at the silly antics. He was like a little kid. And she found that hilarious.

"I want to go flying. You want to go flying, Meri? Let's go flying. We can fly together. I want to fly with you." He said. Merida blushed, but held him down when he tried to get up.

"You're hurt, Brynjar. You need to rest."

"Who's that? Oh, right, ha-ha, it's me. I keep forgetting. My name used to be Hiccup, you know." He said, rolling his head slowly on the pillow it was propped on.

"Sure, it did." She said, rolling her eyes. "And I was a fairy princess."

"I'm serious. I used to live with Vikings." He said it in a tone as if he was telling a secret, but as a joke. Given he was on mind-numbers, she guessed it was just a hallucination.

"Oh, really?" She said teasingly. "and, uh, were are these Vikings now, Bry-... _Hiccup_?" Just then there was a knock on the door and one of the Vikings, Astrid, she thought was her name, walked in.

"Right there. Hey, clanie. Why is your hair purple?" Astrid raised an eyebrow and, after a second, turned to her.

"Do you know what the hell is going on with him?" She asked. Merida was filled with confusion. Wasn't she with the village of dragon killing Vikings? Why did she care about a dragon rider? She shook it off and answered her anyway.

"There's some poison in his system. We had to give him some pain-killing herbs, but it's _obviously_ affecting his brain." She said, receiving another chorus of soft laughter from him. She chuckled at his strange drug-filled antics. She liked him better as he normally was, his strong-willed, serious self, but it was nice to see him laid-back like this. It reminded her that he could be something other than just a dragon rider.

"Merida? Where's your dragon? You can't fly without a dragon." He said.

"Just lay back. Stop trying to get up!" She said, after another failed attempt on his part to position himself in a sitting position.

"...I'm just gonna...go." Astrid said awkwardly. She turned and walked out, but as she did, Merida heard her mutter under her breath. " _I can't believe he turned up here of all places._ " That sent confusion and shock through Merida. She knew him? Before now? She imagined they weren't from the same world. So...he was telling the truth? Or was it really just a hallucination from the drugs. But if it was true, why hide it? Why did he need to keep it a secret?

 _Why should he tell you?_ She thought. _He barely even knows you._ She realized that that was right. They were basically strangers, they didn't know much about each other, and what they did know could hardly be called something reliable. So maybe they should get to know each other better. That they could...no, it wasn't possible. Her fate was to be with a son of one of the clans, not some mercenary dragon rider. But...that didn't mean they could be together. Just for a little while. But then a whole new train of thinking erupted into her mind.

What if he didn't like her? This whole time she had based her feelings on the possibility they could be together, but what if he didn't want to? What if he was in love with someone else, maybe on his team? Or what if he just didn't like her? She shook her head as if the thoughts would just fly off. She had to give it a try. She never gave up before, and most certainly not now. Just then Brynjar, or Hiccup, whatever it was, did something unexpected. He turned to her and said:

"You're beautiful." She didn't know if it was him or the drugs speaking, but it sent her heart flying and her face burning. She sighed in happiness and defeat. Yep, she was definitely going to try. "You already know that, don't you?" She smiled widely, even though her face was burning, she felt joy fill her. Even when he wasn't himself, he could make her feel like this. He could make her feel special, nice.

"Your highness." Someone said. Merida jumped and turned around, trying to push her blush back down. It was one of the healers.

"Oh, hello, O'Fallon. What's wrong with him?" she asked. She knew it was poison, but she needed to know for sure.

"It seems that this is a strange poison. None of our current medicines are equipped to fight it."

"...What do you mean?" She asked. She knew what he meant, but...she was in denial. That can't be it.

"He'll last until spring, if he's lucky. But with winter coming, I...don't like his chances." He looks sown as he said that.

"...Can't you do anything?" Why did she keep asking these questions? It would only cause pain.

"I'm sorry. But...he won't make it." She looked at the person on the ground in front of her. The person she finally let into her heart, what she'd been denying to feel foe almost a month. And now he was going to leave her. She did the only thing she could. She bent forward, and gave him a small kiss on the forehead, ignoring the sounds made by the healer. She looked at him, and decided that, if he died, then her heart would have no chance. So she closed the best she could. So if there was pain...it wouldn't hurt. But she knew, in her deepest being, that if he died...the pain couldn't be greater.

And as she was filling up in her grief and preparation, she dropped a single tear, and stopped the rest before they could dare to make their appearance.

 _Please,_ she thought, _Don't die._

* * *

(Setrina's POV)

Setrina sat in her room. Even though she tried to think of something else, her mind went straight back to the ring. Had she gotten it at one of the Creennian parties or celebrations? Maybe she had too much to drink with the Hilfa, and blacked out. In any case, she hadn't noticed the tattoo before, and she sure didn't remember it. So where did it come from? She tried to remember everything that had happened. She woke up in that cave...

Wait...the cave. Had someone abducted her, and tattooed this on her? But who would do that, why? There were so many questions, she needed answers. Maybe she would ask Hiccup, that seemed like the best course of action to take. She would talk to-

"Setrina!" Festa burst into the room, ripping Setrina from her thoughts. She jumped.

"Festa, what's wrong with you?!" She yelled.

"Hiccup's hurt!" She yelled, and ran off. Setrina sat frozen in place as what Festa had just said slowly made it's way into her mind. Hiccup...hurt. Hiccup was hurt. He was hurt! Setrina jumped up and ran after Festa following her through the castle hallways. Setrina felt a panic and worry run through her. He was all right, she told herself, over and over in her head. He was all right. He was all right. He was all right! Setrina followed Festa through an open door, and froze. There laid Hiccup. Or what was left of him. He seemed sick and pale. On his stomach was a large bandage, soaked with blood. He was unconscious, and didn't seem to be breathing. Setrina knelt down next to him and put a hand on his chest. She at first felt nothing, but after a few seconds...a faint thumping. A heartbeat. Setrina felt relief and grief fill her. How had her friend gotten like this? She felt a tear fall down her face as she rested her forehead on his.

"What happened?" She asked Festa.

"I don't know. I was just walking around and found him like this." She said. Setrina got up and looked at Hiccup with a determination. "Uh, Setrina?" Setrina suddenly remembered that no one knew of her secret affection for Hiccup and blushed. She stood up quickly.

"Maybe one of the royals will tell us. I'm sure they have an explanation." She said, and hurried to find someone.

"What about Hiccup?!" Festa yelled after her.

"Just stay with him!" She yelled back, and continued her path. She made her way through the halls, which were a little less confusing now-a-days, and made her way to the front room. There, she was met with only one person. The princess.

"What happened to Hiccup?" She asked, angrily. Merida looked at her, worried and confused.

"You mean, with Brynjar? I don't know." She said quickly.

"Since when was he like this?" She asked. She glared at the princess with an anger that she never knew existed in her.

"Uh, since he got back from the nest." She said. Setrina looked at her, shocked.

"...What?" She asked. Merida's mask of fear turned to one of confusion.

"He had that nasty wound ever since he got back from the nest. He sent you off, and then went to the infirmary. Didn't he tell you?" She asked. Setrina looked at her in complete shock. She knew, but not that it was this bad. "His injury is bad. The healers...they don't expect him to last past spring." Setrina stood shakily as she stared at her. Setrina took a few steps back, stumbling, and landing on a bench. She stared at the ground. Tears made the world around her blurry.

 _It's not true._ She told herself. _It's not true! It's not true!_ She continued to deny it in her heart, grief taking her hostage. She emptied her tears into her hand, sobbing loudly. He tried to tell her. When they got back, she remembered. But she had run off. He thought she had hated him. She cried loudly.

 _NO! It's not over yet! Maybe there's a cure!_ She rushed back upstairs, into the make-shift hospital they kept him.

"Festa!" She yelled. "Where's Hiccup's journals?" Festa looked at her, confused, but quickly recovered.

"They're in his room, in a drawer. Why?" Setrina didn't answer, she just ran to his room. She burst in and pulled open the many drawers of the dresser, looking wildly for the journals, pulling out random items and tossing them on the floor. She did this for multiple minutes, until she got finally found the journals. She laughed and filled through them, looking for the entries about Storm cutters or dragon poison. But the pages were so random, she couldn't find them. She realized that she would have to go through every page and word through out this thing to find it. Cursing aloud, she sat down and began skimming each page, trying desperately to find it. It was frustrating, that she cursed after every false page. She continued to scan each page, irritation building up inside of her. Then she found it.

"Yes!" She yelled, and ran downstairs, and ran into the hospital room.

"Setrina, what are you up to?" Festa asked her.

"This page has everything he learned on different dragon poisons. This might give us a clue to a cure. Do you think you can look at it?" She asked, her voice an urging tone.

"I'm sorry, Setrina. The only one with enough smarts to even start to decipher this is Tyna, and I have no idea where he is." Festa said, shaking her head.

"Shit! Well, we're just going to have to figure this out ourselves. So, we're going to need...what the heck? What language is this?" She asked. It was filled with strange lines and dots, making weird symbols. She handed the book to Festa.

"It's...Norse. He always wrote in it, now I understand how he could." She said, a little somberly.

"Can you read it?" She asked.

"I'm sorry, only the guys wanted to learn it. I wasn't too interested, so I never tried." Festa said. Setrina lost her voice for a second, but quickly found it.

"SHIT!" She yelled at the ceiling.

"Setrina, calm down!" Festa said. Setrina looked at her, anger and denial filling her up.

"NO!" She turned to Hiccup's unconscious body yelling, as if her could understand her, hear her. "Why do you have to so self-sacrificing?! Why can't you ever be selfish?! You wouldn't be in this mess of you weren't!"

"Setrina, please!" Festa yelled at her. Setrina turned to her.

"He can't die, Festa!" She said, her anger fading to grief, tears welling up in her eyes. "He can't..." She whispered. Festa came up to her and pulled her into a hug.

"He's _going_ to live. No one is dying on my watch. All right? _He is going to live._ " She said. Setrina's eyes dripped as she closed them, hugged Festa, and cried into her shoulder, which in Festa seemed to join. After a few minutes of doing this, she finally cried herself out, emptying her emotion onto her friend. She sniffled and backed out of Festa's grip.

"Thanks, F. Sorry about the breakdown, it's just..." She sighed. "Now...what do we do?" She asked. Just then there was a knock at the door, and the blonde Viking, Astrid, walked in.

"Uh, I heard screaming, and the people sent me to check, see if everything's okay." Astrid said. Festa and Setrina looked at each other, then back to the Viking.

"We need your help." They said in unison.


	14. Chapter 14

(Astrid's POV)

Astrid stood in a mis of emotions as Setrina spoke. Shock, confusion, disbelief, surprise. Truth was, she didn't know what to think. She hadn't told the others Hiccup's secret, and she wanted to. But these people needed her to be silent. So what did she do? Choose to help these band of strangers, or to be loyal to her village? The answer was obvious to her, so...why didn't she feel sure. She decided to wait until they stopped talking to make her decision.

"Wait." The boy, Hogva, said. "If it was in Norse...how did you find the page?"

"He labeled the entries in english, for some reason. I don't know, I can never understand him." Setrina said. Astrid looked at her, and was reminded of an all to familiar face. She looked like Heather. Althoug Heather had escaped the Vikings, she had suffered some... _injuries_ at the hand of Astrid. Although the resemblance was scary, this girl...she had a confidence to her, an inner strength. It both intrigued and repulsed Astrid.

"That's not the point." Festa said. "We have someone who can read it, so we should be able to find whatever we need."

"That...may be problem." Hogva said. Everyone looked at him simutaniously. "I only learned about twenty characters in Norse. There are some I'm shaky on, and some I don't even recognize."

"...So...you can't read this?" Setrina asked.

"Nope." He said. Setrina groaned in exasperation, throwing her head back.

"But this one can." Hogva said, pointing at Astrid. Astrid was filled with surprise, raising both eyebrows.

"Umm...what?" She asked.

"Hogva, don't be silly, there's no way she's going to help us." Setrina turned to her. "Don't you hate Hiccup?"

"Wait, I never said-" AStris started, a little surprised they thought that, but not that much.

"Look, this is probaly going to be a long trip, but you're the only one who can help us. Certainly the only one rational enough to listen to what we have to say." Festa said.

"...Well..."

"She doesn't have to come." Setrina said. Astrid looked at her confused. Why was she do persistent on this?

"Look, Setrina, now is not the time to let your feelings cloud your judgement-" Hogva started.

"Excuse me?" She said in an almost whisper, shutting up Hogva quite effeciently.

"He's got a point, Setrina." Festa said. "Look, I know you're agaisnt it, but we can't afford to go without her. This is Hiccup's _life_ on the line."

"I know that! But if she comes, we'll just be slowed down." Setrina crossed her arms

"Setrina...is it more to it than that?" Festa said. Astrid found herself growing more uncomfortable as they spoke, feeling as she was witnessing something personal.

"...What are you talking about?"

"...Look, I know why you're against it, but she has to come. If we get lost, or miscalculate, or _anything_ , she could be the difference between liffe and death. And not for us." Setrina looked at the ground.

"...Fine." She said in a low and defeated tone.

"Okay." Hogva said, turning to Astrid. "SO, do you need to do anything?"

"Wait, we're leaving _now_?" She asked incredously. On Berk, it took at least half an hour to get ready for a trip, especially if it was going to be long. But then again, these were dragon riders, not Berkians. They didn't do things like she was used to.

"Well, yeah. If you need some time, you have a maximum of thirty minutes." Hogva said.

"I never said I was going!" Astrid said, a little annoyed.

"Adn I thought we estabilidad that you _have_ to come." Hogva said. Astrid wanted to argue, but something in his demeanor made her think twice.

"All right, just give me a second." She said, rushing to the others downstairs. Snotlout stopped her in her rush.

"Hey, babe. What's the rush?" Astrid glared a death stare at him.

"Don't do this now, Snotlout. I'm boy in the modo." She said in a low voice. To be fair, she was never in the mood. But, nonetheless, Snotlout's smirk gave way off his face and he backed off, obviously threatend. Astrid smiled to herslef, satisfied, and made her way to her chambers. She quickly grabbed her axe, given she already had her armor on, and some supplies. She was about to head out, when she ran into the chief, whom was blocking the door.

"Where are you going, Astrid?" He asked in a low tone. It was so calm and deep, it scared her. Her!

"I'm have to go with the...riders to-" She started shakily.

"Why?" He asked, interrupting.

"Uh...well..." _This is going to be long,_ she thought.

* * *

(Hiccup's POV)

Hiccup woke up, his head felt thick and his stomach ached and burned. He overall felt crappy. He sat up and attempted to stand up. As he did, a flash of pain stopped him from getting up. He sat back down, submitting to the pain.

"Oi, don't try to get." Someone said. He looked to see Merida sitting next to him, arms crossed.

"Don't worry, I won't try that again." He said jokingly. Merida was quiet for a second.

"How do you feel?" She asked him, a little comfort showing in her blocked demeanor.

"...Good enough, I guess. How about you?" He asked out of courtesy.

"I'm not the one mortally wounded. I'm worried about you." She said. Hiccup raised an eyebrow. Why would she be worried about him?

"I'm fine, really." He said.

"Good, I'm glad. Because I have a few questions...Hiccup." She said. He winced. Now she knew. He guessed it was only expected. Pretty soon, his father would find out. He sighed.

"Like what?" He asked. It would be better to get this over with.

"Why did you become a dragon rider?" She asked. He looked at her. Such a strange question, and it had an obvious answer.

"Because I wanted to help people." He said.

"And?" She asked. Hiccup was confused. What else was there?

"What do you mean?" He asked her.

"There has to be more than one reason for someone to become a dragon rider. What is it?" She asked.

He knew there was more than one reason he left, but he didn't want her to think less of him. But if he lied, he would lose her trust and friendship. But then another thought occurred. Why did he care what she thought of him? He wasn't a friend, or even an acquaintance, but just a total stranger. So why did her opinion matter to him so much? He didn't have an answer, everything was so confusing, and for the first time in a long time...he truly wasn't sure. So he just stared at her, trying to come up with a believable excuse, or something to worm it's way around her question, but came up with...nothing.

"I don't fell comfortable talking about it with you." He said, facing away in, for some reason, in shame. And it was the truth, he was uncomfortable, but it was more than that. It was...something. He didn't know what it was. It was...confusing. Merida looked down in embarrassment and sadness.

"Right, sorry. It's just...I wanted to get to know you better. Since you are supposed to protect me." She said. She was sad. He didn't like to see people sad. His own sadness, he could handle, but someone else's was unbearable. Should he tell her? Should she know? Would it be for the best? He sighed. Either way, it was going to get to her eventually. Might as well come from him.

"I used to live with Vikings." He started out. Simple, but shocking. A dragon rider living with Vikings? "I was, as you would say, a bit small for my age. Or any age. I was the runt, weak. Because of that, I was ridiculed, humiliated. But because of my father, I was allowed to stay. I don't know why they didn't just kick me out in the first place. And I was so eager to change their minds, but each day seemed like a new form of pain. My father told me to suck it up, that real Vikings don't cry. I didn't want to be more of a disappointment, so I pushed it all down, but I guess it was just building up. And with nothing to get rid of it, it was just a matter of time until it exploded. But one day, I met Toothless, and he made me...happy. For the first time in my life, I had a friend, someone who I could trust and be myself with. Then, the village wanted me to do something that I couldn't do, not now that I had met Toothless. So I ran away. It was only by coincidence that I found the others. So I became what I am now. A dragon rider."

Merida stayed silent. Hiccup had never told anyone this, not the way he was telling it now. Why was he telling this stranger? What was it about her that made him trust her so much without knowing anything about her? Any way, it didn't matter. It's not like she could-

"I understand." She said. He looked at her in confusion and surprise. "Well, some of it. They tried to make you do something you didn't want to, didn't they? You didn't want to be like them, at some point. Didn't want to do things their way." Hiccup chuckled.

"Something like that." He said.

"'m not going to pretend like I understand all you've been through, but...just know if you ever need someone to talk to, I'm here. At least until the others get back." She said. Hiccup chuckled, then froze.

"Wait...what?" He asked.

"...The others left to go get some ingredients for the antidote to your...poison." Hiccup stared at her incredulously, then put both hands on his face, groaning into them. They went to get the ingredients to the Stromcutter poison, but the main ingredient was in it's nest! They couldn't get it without being injured, because he was the only one who could read it.

"Who all left?" He asked, his hands still on his face.

"Um, Setrina." Of course. "Festa." Obviously. "Hogva." Wait, he was back? "And Astrid." The last name shocked him.

"Wait...the blonde viking Astrid?" He asked, but of course that was the only Astrid around. Why would she be helping them? Well, at least they could read the map.

"Yes...Hiccup? I have to ask you...how do you talk to dragons?" She asked. Hiccup shrugged.

"It's there own language. Dragonese. A series of dragon sounds that translate into words and sentences. It takes years to learn, especially if you speak any human language frequently."

"Oh, all right. I was kind of hoping I could find a way to talk with Arrowedge, but I don't think I could spend years learning a language." She looked down, blushed. Hiccup was confused.

"What about your archery? I heard you're the best around, and it took me months before I could even graze a target." He said.

"Well, not to brag, but I kind of had a natural talent for it and learned to hit a bulls-eye in four months. It's no big deal."

"I'd say it's a really big deal. You must be really talented." Hiccup saw Merida smile a little wider at the praise, and felt himself get a little happier becuase he made this stranger happy.

"...So, I've, uh, been having quite a lot of trouble learning to get on Arrowedge. Could you help me?"

"Wait, is that your dragon's name?" He asked.

"Oh, is it a bad name?" She asked worriedly.

"No, it's a good name, especially if your dragon likes it. Anyhow, I could teach you to ride her. It's not as easy as riding a horse, but I'm sure you can get it down." He said. Merida immediately looked offended.

"Who told you riding a horse was easy?" She said, arms crossed.

"Well, no one, it's just that horses don't fly, breath fire, or get an attitude if they go without fish for five minutes." Hiccup glanced at Toothless, aiming that last comment at him.

 **I have a very large stomach, my hunger is untameable.** Toothless warbled. Hiccup rolled his eyes. Merida harrumphed.

"It's still not easy as you think to ride a horse." She said. He could tell she was getting angry, and really wanted to avoid another slap.

"I believe you." He said, choosing his words carefully. "I'm not as skilled as you when it comes to horses, and I doubt I know as much about them as you."

"Aren't you supposed to be some kind of genius?" She asked, a little rudely. Perhaps she was still angry over the whole thing about dragons over horses.

"Of course, but only on dragons, herbs, weapons, stuff like that. I don't know much about anything else. Couldn't ever cook a decent meal to save my life." Hiccup remembered the one time he had attempted to cook a small lunch, almost burning down his home, and getting an earful from Setrina. Still, the burnt food was still better than her cooking, but he would never tell her that.

"Well, I guess I'll have to teach you that. Call it a...trade, of sorts." She said. Hiccup chuckled at the strange word, but nonetheless stood up. He was still in pain, but not so much as he couldn't stand.

"Well, if your going to ride a dragon, your going to need a saddle." He said, already putting together the blueprints in his mind.

* * *

(Setrina's POV)

Setrina felt another wave of irritation as Astrid asked the same question that she had asked three times in the last hour.

"Are you sure?" Setrina bit back a groan of annoyance.

"Yes, I'm sure Astrid. Geez, I thought vikings were supposed to be tough. Are you scared of a little height?" She asked, annoyance clearly shown in her tone. Festa flew up and close to them.

"Actually, if she fell from this height, she would break all her bones, sever her spine, cause possible parallelization-"

"Not helping, Festa!" Setrina said through gritted teeth. Astrid, spooked by Festa's gruesome words, squeezed Setrina's waist tighter. Setrina groaned from the pain her abdomen was in because of it.

"Can you not squeeze so tight?" She yelled at her. Festa laughed. Setrina snapped on her.

"OH, ha-ha!" She said mockingly. She turned forward. " _Wait until we get down!_ " She said venomously to no one in particular. Setrina was in a bad mood, because despite all of their work, they had only gathered half of the items they needed, and it was almost sunset. If they didn't hurry, they would have no choice but to camp for the night, or turn back and wait out the night in Scotland. They needed to get this finished, tonight. Hogva rode up besides them.

"I've been thinking, and I realized something...Hiccup is the only one besides Tyna who can speak fluent Dragonese. So if he dies, and the...queen or whatever decides to attack, we may have no choice but to kill it."

"It won't come to that." Festa said.

"What if this cure doesn't work?" He asked. Setrina felt anger rise up in her.

"It's gonna work." She said with the most confident voice she could muster. The cure _has_ to work. It just has to. He cant' die. Not know. Not ever. She continued to reassure herself as they flew, and she noticed that Astrid's hold had gotten visibly looser. She glanced back and saw Astrid's eyes were now open, looking around. Could she be...enjoying this? Well, looks like Hiccup was wrong. Maybe they could change. She followed Astrid's eyes and looked around as well. She had forgotten the simple pleasure of just gliding in the sky, the colors of the sunset illuminating everything around. She had always thought that, if she ever were to get the guts to ask Hiccup out, she would do it on a ride like right now. When she had gotten the cure for him, maybe he would start to see her more than just his friend. Maybe...

Now was not the time for hoping. If any of that was going to come true, she had to help him first. In her mind, it was _her_ turn to save _his_ life.

"Um, not to tell you how to do your job...but is that dragon _supposed_ to be following us?" Astrid asked, worry evident in her voice.

"What?" Setrina asked, confused. She turned around and saw a Monstrous Nightmare trailing them. It was covered in metal armor. "Festa, who is that behind us?" Setrina called out.

"I don't know. It looks alone." She said. Setrina looked back at the dragon wiht suspicion.

"How long has it been following us?" She asked, though she was sure they didn't know, but it was protocol.

"With that armor, I don't think it could fly for long, so it must have started recently." Hogva said. Setrina looked back, watching the dragon.

"Bloosvist." Astrid whispered, so quiet that she almost missed it. Setrina looked at her with confusion.

"What was that?" She asked. Astrid looked at her, fear in her eyes.

"Go faster. Faster!" She said frantically. Setrina looked at her, confused.

"What are you talking about?" She said, confused. Just then there was a three-part chorus of:

"LOOK OUT!" Setrina looked forward to see a Gronkle a foot away from her. It fired.

* * *

(Hiccup's POV)

Hiccup banged away on the metal, the heat suddenly getting to much for him. He moved out of the blacksmith's shop and wiped his brow. Suddenly, a putrid smell peirced his nose. He took a sniff.

"...Something's burning."


	15. Chapter 15

(Setrina's POV)

Setrina was chained to the wall, breathing hard. The position of the shackles forced her to stand, and her legs were on fire. She closed her eyes, trying to force herself to ignore the pain in every fiber of her being. She felt a mix of fear and confusion as she tried to recall most of the battle. All she could remember was flurries of fire, scales, and metal, and the immense flash of light followed by an icy burn. She felt a stinging on her left cheek, where the small bits of fire had made contact and burnt her skin. She started to concoct a plan to escape from whoever this Draco person was. But if she had to guess, she would have to guess he was bad news.

Just then there was a click, followed by a loud band. The door. Someone opened the door. She forced her eyes opened. A large man, shrouded in the darkness of the dungeon. He walked closer, but as he did, he didn't appear as a man, but a growing shroud of darkness, an impending evil. He got close enough to her to where she could point out his most obvious features, but the smaller ones where blurred out by darkness and pain. He smiled, a small friendly gesture, but on his face, it seemed like a death toll. He got close to her face.

"Hello, Setrina. I've heard...a lot about you, and the others. Dragon riders. So noble, aren't you? You should know better than to stray from the flock, girl." He spoke in a deep, echoing tone, the sentence seemed to stretch and grow with an evil that was simply terrifying. But Setrina's anger outweighed her fear.

"...Go...fuck...yourself." She managed. Those words were hard to get out, but it was worth it. The being in front of her smiled, as if her words amused him. She then felt a flash of brilliant pain flash across her cheek, making her scream, collapsing her lungs. She turned to coughing, pain aching her chest and face.

"Maybe another time. In the mean time, there's is someone who would like to meet you, and I'm sure you're as anxious as I am." He said in his signature dark voice. He moved from in front of her, and she heard a shuffling. She opened her eyes through the pain and new weariness that had appeared. She saw a short figure, dark and outlined in the little light that emitted from the doorway. It glowed of the same darkness that Draco had. It stepped closer to her, and soon it was close enough that she could make out his features, barely, but it wasn't enough to recognize him. Then he spoke.

"Who hurt her?" The faint, but threatening voice said. She recognized it, but...no.

"She got it from one of the Gronkles, she was resistant." Draco said. Setrina's mind was spinning. Why...?

"Kill it. Nothing hurts her." He couldn't be...

"Of course...son." Draco said. The word rang like the toll of a bell. The figure stepped closer, and she could see his face. It was him...

" _My queen. I'll make sure you are safe._ " He spoke in whispers to her, close to her ear, like a delusional man. She looked up at him, fear and confusion filling her up again.

"...Tyna." She said, the old friend replaced by this horrific person in blood red armor. He stood back, a smile, one resembling Draco's in an uncanny nature. He seemed to have this new aura, a terrifying and dark one to replace his old, friendly, and shy one.

"My beauty. I missed you."

(Astrid's POV)

Astrid tugged hard at the chains another time, trying once again to free herself, and once again failing. Astrid groaned in exasperation, finally giving in to her tiredness. She sat on the ground, looking up at the sky, as if the secret of escape would be there, waiting for her. She sat there for a second before yelling at the top of her lungs in anger, letting her rage and frustration take wind. She held the scream for a couple of seconds before it died down. Across from her, out of the corner of her eye, she saw Festa and Hogva look at her with suspicious and estranged looks. She ignored them, instead chastising herself for being so powerless, so trapped, so... _useless_. She hated this feeling of not being able to do anything, and nothing she did to help seemed to work.

"Finished?" Hogva asked, eyebrow raised. Astrid looked at him, anger rising in her. Festa looked around the cell, apparently looking for a way to escape. Astrid thought it was a lost cause. She couldn't find anything.

"How the heck am I supposed to get out of this?" She asked herself in a whisper, so that they didn't hear her.

 _Why the heck did I come with them?_ She asked herself. _He's not one of the clan. Why did I come to help him?_ She closed her eyes and tried to calm herself down.

"Got it." Festa said. Astrid looked and saw that Festa and Hogva were...free. "There's locks here, here, and here. I'll get the top one, you get the bottom two."

Astrid looked at the two of them in disbelief. She then looked at the chains that had held them. They were opened and hanging off the walls, as if no one had ever been in them. She looked at the two of them.

"What the...how did... _what_?" She asked incredulously. Hogva looked at her with a smirk on his face. Festa grabbed a rock that was placed on the floor on jumped up, breaking the lock in one swipe. Hogva grabbed the two locks and pulled, destroying them. Festa walked over next to Astrid and took out two small, thin metal wires. She put them in the chains and after a few seconds, there was a click and the chains opened. Astrid rubbed her wrists where they were sore from the chains, and she stood up. Hogva opened the door slightly, and a small trail of light appeared in the room. Astrid stood back and stood at the ready if they were attacked.

"...Okay, on three, we go." Hogva said.

"What? But, what if we can't handle all the guards?" Astrid asked. She didn't doubt her fighting skills or the skills of the riders. But she just didn't know how they would get through them.

"Okay, Astrid, darling." Hogva said, looking at her. "We are planning on fighting our way out. We're just going to get out of here without anyone seeing us."

"And how do we do that? Vikings aren't necessarily known for their stealth." Festa asked Hogva. Astrid was a little offended, but it was true.

"So...what do we do?" Astrid asked them, looking between them. Festa and Hogva stared at her for a second, then looked at each other, then back to her. And they both had a wicked smile on their faces. "Um, I don't like that look you have on your face. What's with that look?"

"Have you ever ridden a dragon solo, Astrid?" Hogva asked.

 _Of course, I haven't. They know this._ She thought. But instead of insulting her only chance at escape, she decided to let them have the more polite answer.

"No, I haven't." She answered. Festa smacked the back of Hogva's head. Astrid decided she liked this girl.

"Of course she hasn't, idiot. Anyway, you ready to learn, viking?" She asked. Astrid looked at them with a mix of confusion and surprise. She was a renowned dragon killer. She had no interest in learning to ride the devils. She was also confused. What did these people have in mind for her?

"Well...you're about to." Festa said, and started to explain her plan.

* * *

(Hiccup's POV)

Hiccup put a final blow of the hammer on the saddle, and put it up to study his handiwork. Once he was satisfied, he took it out of the blacksmith's shop and showed it to Merida. It was all of the colors of her dragon, with a specially designed compartment for her arrows and bow. It was small and smooth, so that it was virtually invisible on her dragon. He gave it to her, letting her examine it. Her eyes widened at it, a little aghast at the creation. Hiccup smiled at her wonder.

"This is amazing, Hiccup." She said. Hiccup thought it was a little strange how she pronounced his name with out the "h," so it sounded like "'iccup." He also thought it was strange hearing his old name used so...normally. But he had to get used to it, he guessed.

"Thanks. I worked hard, but it's a little messed up on some parts." He said. Merida seemed to not notice him.

"It's perfect." She said. Hiccup looked down, slightly embarrassed. Then he was confused. He was never embarrassed when his friends complimented his work. Maybe it was just how he could easily impress a total stranger. Yeah, that was it. Merida looked at him. "How long until I can use it?" She asked. He thought on for a second.

"Actually, you can try it out right now. If you want..." She was already rushing off to find Arrowedge. "I guess we're doing this." He said.

Hiccup rushed to follow Merida, and found she was at the stables where Angus was held. Apparently, the horse and the dragon had become tolerant towards one another, living together in the stables. When Hiccup had asked Arrowedge _why_ , she simply responded with: " **because I can.** " Hiccup smiled as he saw the Nadder perk up when Merida entered the room. She stood up and chirped happily, circling in one spot. Angus had a similar reaction, rearing back and whinnying when she came near to him. Hiccup rolled his eyes at their antics, and watched as Merida fed them both, and individually talked to each one of them. He found a certain comfort on how she could be so peaceful, even around a dragon. Hiccup wondered how Merida had befriended the dragon, but he supposed he would ask another time. Hiccup waited patiently for her to finish talking to them and to put the saddle on.

"Angus, I promise, tomorrow I will ride you, but today is Arrowedge's turn." She said. Angus whinnied sadly, and Merida put her hand on his snout to calm him down. She then faced her dragon.

"Come on, Arrowedge. Time for me to ride you." The dragon chirped happily, following her. Arrowedge turned to Hiccup.

 **Make sure she doesn't die, rider.** She told him. Hiccup gave a small nod as a signal of his understanding. The dragon followed Merida to an open field, where Hiccup took the saddle from the reluctant princess and started to fit it onto the dragon. The dragon was a little uncomfortable under his touch, but she accepted it. After a minute, he had the saddle strapped on. He faced Merida, only to see she wasn't wearing any riding gear, just her normal dress. He looked at her up and down.

"You need riding gear." He said.

"What? Oh, right, sorry, I forgot to put it on, I was just so caught up in the moment." She said in an embarrassed tone. She took off quickly in the direction of the castle, not saying another word. Hiccup faced Arrowedge. She was pacing back and forth in impatience.

" **Calm down, Arrowedge. You'll get to fly eventually.** " He said. The dragon huffed, not stopping the pacing.

 **I haven't been able to fly for some time now, Rider. I am impatient.** She huffed, a small trail of fire leaving her nostrils. Hiccup chuckled.

" **I can tell. But, you're going to have to take it easy today. It** ** _is_** **her first time.** " He said, but was answered with a self-absorbed puff of smoke.

 **You think I don't know that? I just haven't been in the sky near a month. I am dying to get back up there.** She said. Something about that statement threw him off. A month? Didn't Merida find her a couple of days ago?

" **Arrowedge, didn't Merida find you a couple of days ago?** " He asked.

 **Yes, she did.** She said, and continued her pacing. He stared at her, confused. Toothless had come out of the shadows of the forest behind him, hearing the conversation.

 **Then, what kept you grounded for a month?** Toothless asked, just as confused as he was.

 **Territory.** She didn't say anything else. This dragon had secrets. And when dragons had secrets, they were big ones. Hiccup and Toothless exchanged a look. This dragon was certainly one of the more mysterious ones. And there was nothing Hiccup was better at than solving things.

Hiccup decided to focus on the task on hand. He was determined to make this a memorable moment for Merida.

* * *

(Merida's POV)

Merida put on her riding gear, the ones Hiccup had made for he not too long ago. She smiled as she thought about him. His goofy smile, the most rare thing on Earth. His big, shining green eyes that seemed to hypnotize you. His caring nature, his selflessness so large to where he would die for his friends. Merida blushed as she thought of him. She then chastised herself. If she let her feelings get control of her, she might do something stupid. She finished putting on her gear and went outside to where Hiccup and Arrowedge were. She stopped in front of Hiccup, and let him inspect her.

As he studied her up and down, she thought it looked like he was checking her out. Then she forced that thought from her mind. He wasn't like that. And if he _was_ checking her out, she wouldn't have necessarily minded. It would be kind of exciting. She forced _that_ thought from her head.

 _Stop thinking like that. Get your mind out of the gutter._ She looked at Hiccup, careful not to let any of her thoughts appear on her face. He looked her square in the eye, and she tried with all of her being not to blush.

"All right. You're ready. Let's do it." He said. He got on Toothless, who Merida just now noticed was here, and gestured for her to get on Arrowedge. Merida turned to the dragon. Suddenly all thoughts of Hiccup, or anything else, was gone, replaced by a feeling of fear and excitement. She had seen the other riders fly, but when they did it, it looked so easy. Now, when she was about to go on her first solo dragon ride, she started to question her abilities. Could she do it the way they did? Could she do it at all?

She stood staring at the saddle, heart beating faster than she wanted, when Hiccup put a hand on her shoulder. She looked at him.

"You're going to do fine, Merida." He said, giving her a supportive smile. She faced the saddle and carefully got on.

She started to put on the safety straps, one at a time, as tight as she could get them. Now that she was about to fly, all strapped in and ready, she felt the fear that she already had grow. She looked to Hiccup.

"Did I do it right?" She asked him.

"It's good. Ready?" He asked. Merida hesitated, not sure whether to not go through with this. She faced Hiccup.

"Not really." She admitted. Hiccup smiled, apparently amused. The next thing she knew, she was in the air. The movement was so sudden, she didn't think about what to to do. She immediately wrapped the ropes around her hands and held on tight, closing her eyes, waiting for the sudden rush of wind and speed. Then she dared to open her eyes.

She was above the clouds. She looked around, and saw how he clouds looked like pillows, the sunlight making them different shades of red, orange, and pink. She let in a sudden breath, and felt the icy air fill her lungs, sending electricity through her. The thrill was now in her, the idea of being so far up in the heavens. She was past the bounds of the Earth, and now she got a small taste of the freedom she always yearned. The sun was brighter, and she could see the different rainbows that curved their ways through the creases of the clouds. Arrowedge slowed to a glide. Merida stuck her hand down into the clouds. It parted like water, and it felt cold and wet, like the spray of the waterfall. She looked around, letting the new sensations surround her.

She couldn't believe the sight. The feelings. It was so much unlike anything she's experienced before. She spread her arms apart, as if to let all the colors and sensations in. There were so much, it was overwhelming. She closed her eyes, feeling the wind on her face, the complete sense of _freedom_. She never wanted to leave the skies.

She then thought about Hiccup. He felt this all the time. How she would love that, to be as free as him, the only thing holding her back, the will to survive. She would love to leave the chains of her life, to be free. To travel the world, and know what he knows.

She opened her eyes and faced him, smiling. He smiled back, and in her mind, thanks to the cloud-9 feeling, that meant something other than what was implied. She felt a heat rise up in her chest and face, and quickly looked away to hide it. But then she thought, why should she? One way or another, they would either be together, or they wouldn't. So why should she continue to torture herself with these acts of trying to stop herself from being in love.

But once she was in love, wouldn't that change everything they did? Would she just tie herself down, take away her freedom of heart?

No. If she didn't allow herself to love, she didn't deserve the freedom to be in love. She was going to tell him. One way or another, before the day was through, he was going to know. She wasn't going to push down her feelings any more.

 _Stop, Merida._ She told herself. _You're not thinking straight._ She almost had herself in the right state of mind, when she looked around. Almost instantly, that feeling of invincibility came back, the feeling she could do anything, and she ultimately decided she would tell him. If he didn't love her back, so be it. Either way, she would be free.

"Merida, time to go down." He said. She was overwhelmed with a mix of disappointment and nervousness. This was it. Arrowedge followed Hiccup and Toothless without her steering, giving her more time to figure out how she was going to do it.

They landed and Merida unhooked herself and took off the saddle. While she did that, she could still feel the complete thrill from up above, even though they were back on the ground. She thought, no, she _knew_ she could do anything. She wondered where this new-found confidence came from. Once she was finished, she walked next to Hiccup, who was kneeling next to Toothless's tail, his back faced to her. She only leaned forward to talk, just to say a few words, and only when it happened did she realize what a bad choice she made. She didn't mean for it to happen, but it happened anyway. Just as she leaned forward, he had turned to say something. She had just came from the skies, the rush and emotion still running through her, and she couldn't handle it.

She placed her lips on his. It was completely by accident, and quite sloppy, but when she felt his lips, she lost control of herself. She deepened the kiss and wrapped her arms around him, not caring abut tradition. He seemed to accept it.

Right now, she was as brave as she was ever going to be.


	16. Chapter 16

(Hiccup's POV)

Hiccup froze, staring at Merida with wide eyes. Merida backed up away from him, hand over her mouth. The stared at each other, both with wide eyes and shocked expressions. Then she took off, running towards the castle, leaving Hiccup there alone. He could still feel a slight sting on his lips.

He sat there, looking after her with shocked eyes. his mind was wrapping around itself, trying to figure out what had happened. He sat there, afraid to move. He continued to stare at the spot she had been, not knowing what to do. Toothless waddled next to him with a bored expression.

 **I wasn't expecting that, but it is acceptable.** Hiccup, instead of answering, just continued to look at the spot where Merida had been. He was overcoming the effect of the shock, but a million questions seemed to appear in his head.

What...what just happened? He asked himself. He couldn't seem to look anywhere else but that place. And strangely...he didn't want to.

He considered why, but every time he came up with another excuse, he couldn't seem to back it up. And eventually, he had to face the truth. He...had some feeling for her. He didn't know what exactly this feeling was, but it was undeniable that it was there. He tried to bury it. He tried to get rid of this feeling that had suddenly appeared. But every time he did, it seemed like it resurfaced, not wanting to go away. Why was this here? Why, of all times, of all places, of all people, did it appear here, now...with her?

Hiccup looked at Toothless. He saw the smirk on his face, and a sudden realization appeared.

"You knew, didn't you?" He asked his dragon. Toothless waited a second, then shrugged.

Perhaps. Toothless said smugly. Hiccup was angry at Toothless, but still confused about what had just happened with Merida.

Was it possible that she felt for him? In that way? If so, what did he feel for her? It was impossible to wrap his head around this, even after all the things he figured out in his lifetime. Why did things have to become so complicated?

"...What do I do now?" He asked himself aloud. For the first time in his entire life, he was unsure about something.

 **Well, if you wish to take her as your mate, now would be the best time. But if you do not, then just stay here and ignore it. Though it might not be the best option.** Toothless was quiet for a moment. **Did you enjoy that intimacy?**

"No. I mean, maybe, a little, but-"

Then you should take her as your mate.

"Well, I don't want to mate with her, but I don't want to lose her...I guess. Maybe?" He asked to no one. He felt like he could smack himself for being so clueless. So he did. Toothless looked at him curiously.

 **Has this female messed with your mind?** Hiccup sighed.

"No, I was just trying...something." He said, his face stinging.

 **Did it work?** Toothless asked. Hiccup looked at his friend and smiled at his strangeness.

"No, but at least I feel better."

So the female made you feel bad. Toothless asked. Hiccup rolled his eyes.

"That's not what I meant. I-" He started, then realized that it would be impossible to explain this to Toothless. He sighed. "I need to talk with one of the others...where are they? The ingredients shouldn't take that long to gather."

Just then, a Terrible Terror in metal landed in front of Hiccup. He flinched back, while Toothless got into a defensive position. The Terror squawked, not moving. Hiccup noticed how big and bulky the armor was. It was probably very painful to wear, even for a dragon. The dragon reached under itself, and dropped a small piece of paper. He let out a final small hiss, and took off quickly, leaving him and Toothless alone.

Hiccup looked after the dragon, then at the piece of paper. Who would give a dragon armor like that? And why did they send it here?

Hiccup bent over and picked up the piece of paper. He read it over multiple times, then crumpled it up in his hand.

"Toothless...we may have a slight problem."

* * *

(Merida's POV)

Merida slammed her door closed and jumped on the bed, burying her face in the blankets. Her face burned a bright red and a great heat. She kissed him. She kissed him! How much more stupid could she have been? She wished she could just crawl in a hole and die. She realized she would have to face him again, eventually. It would be excruciatingly embarrassing...and heartbreaking. The flight had her on a high, but she never thought it would make her do something so stupid. She wished she could change it.

There was a knock on the door. Merida froze, not even daring to breath. She waited to see if the person would knock again, or if it was Hiccup. If it was, she wouldn't open the door.

"Merida, honey, could you open the door?" It was her mom. She opened the door and quickly shut it. "Merida, are you okay?"

"I'm just...hiding." She said, trying to hide what she did. If her mom knew, it wouldn't be good for her, or the treaty.

"From who?"

"I just messed up a little, it's...not that big of a deal. So, what did you want to talk about?" She didn't lie to her mother a lot, maybe once she could remember, and she felt guilty about it.

"Well, the games are to proceed in a week, and I just wanted to make sure you were all right. No nervous jitters."

"Oh, I completely forgot about the games! But, does that mean..."

"After the games convenience, you'll be prepped for the wedding to take place the week after." Merida looked at the ground. Marriage, already. This was all happening too fast for her. She wasn't even 17 yet, but she was already going to be married.

To someone she didn't love.

She sat down on the bed, afraid. Afraid to give up her freedom.

"Merida, I know this is hard for you, but you have to understand that this...this is for your own good." She said. Merida wasn't listening. She didn't know why she wasn't. She should be arguing, angry, but overall...she was just sad. She had finally figured out all her feelings, and she wouldn't be able to be with the person she loved. If he even wanted to be with her at all.

But did she really love him? Was it just...infatuation, or real, true love? She looked at her mother.

"...What does being in love feel like?" She asked her, hoping to get an answer. Her mother was surprised by her question, it was apparent by the shocked look on her face, and Merida suddenly realized that might not have been the best thing to ask right now.

Before her mother could ask another question, there was a knock at the door. Merida was both relieved and worried. It could be Hiccup, but then again it could be something else. Merida's mother looked at the door, then back to her. She waited a second, seeming to weigh her options. Merida held her breath, waiting for her mother to do something. Thankfully, her mother stood up and walked towards the door. Merida breathed a sigh of relief as her mother opened the door, revealing a guard and not Hiccup.

"What is it?" She asked, irritation evident in her voice.

"Message for the dragon rider. His team has been captured, as well as one of the Vikings. he stated he will be leaving after them in an hours time. Your husband requests your presence." The guard said. Merida felt sad and scared, for Hiccup and his team. She had come to like some of them

"Thank you, I'll be right there." The guard curtsied and left. Merida's mother turned to her. "We will talk about this later." She said. Merida felt a pool of regret fill up in her stomach. _Of course we will_. She thought. _Looking forward to it._

* * *

(Setrina's POV)

Setrina continued to claw away at the headboard, trying to get a piece of wood unattached. Her fingernails had started to bleed, but she didn't care. She needed to get out of here. This was insane. How could Tyna do something like this? He was usually so calm and nice. She would never expect him to do something like this. Was he always like this, and she was just blind to it?

She pulled off the large piece of wood. It was pointed at the end, like a spear. She put it into the keyhole, and moved it around like Hogva had showed her. She did so until there was a click, and the chains unlocked. She pulled them off and stood up, running to the doors. She pushed with all her might, but the doors wouldn't seem to budge. She stepped back to take a breath, staying almost completely still as she looked at the area surrounding the door. The hinges were exposed. If she could just find something hard enough, she could break them. She looked around the room, shivering slightly at the sight of the silks. Then she remembered the candles. She walked over to them.

Sure enough, there were from England. Which meant their stands were made from metal she blew out the candles and tore the wax from the metal. She went back to the door and took a stance. She needed to use all of her strength to break the hinges. The metal they were made from was certainly not weak. She took a breath, and swung down hard. She hit the first hinge, but it still wasn't broken. She hit it again. And again. And again. After her strength got weary, she took a break. She rested her hands on her knees, and stared at the piece of wood and metal.

Almost. It was so close. Just a few more swings. She took some more breaths. She wasn't trained for this type of stuff. She was an archer, not a sword fighter. But, at that moment, it didn't matter. She got right back into her stance, summoned all the strength she had left, and put her hand up. She waited a second, then brought the candle holder down with all her might...

And her fist swung empty past it. She turned around in shock and confusion, to see Tyna, holding it. He looked at it, then at her, with almost a piteous face.

"I really wish you hadn't have used the candelabra. It cost quite the coin, you know." He said. He walked over to the dresser, facing away from her, and placed the warped golden metal back on it. He stayed with his back to her and sighed.

"He's not coming." He said. Setrina stayed there in caution and confusion. Tyna turned back to her. "Your _Hiccup_? He's not coming to get you." Tyna said. Setrina looked at him with anger. "You know, you fell in love with him, didn't you? But did he ever once tell you that you looked good? Did he ever say a kind word to you simply because he could? Did he ever do anything besides criticize you, boss you around, or ignore you?" Tyna asked. With each word he stepped closer, and with each step closer Setrina took a step back. Soon her back was against the wall, and Tyna was so close she could feel his breath.

"He _is_ coming." She said forcefully. Tyna chuckled.

"Of course he is. Tell me, who exactly is he? A dragon rider, or a Viking? Brynjar or Hiccup? Who is this man you call a friend, but really a stranger? He is not worthy of your friendship, Setrina." He said, voice laced with venom.

"At least he didn't kidnap me into being his truelove."

"Yes, I did that. But only because _he_ was hurting you. I saw your face when he told us of his lies. How he made you feel. Do you really believe he has changed?" He asked. Setrina glared, but said nothing. The truth was, she didn't know what he was really like. He was so distant for all those years. Even now she didn't know his favorite _food_. But she wouldn't give Tyna that satisfaction. So she stayed silent. He smiled. "That's what I thought."

"Fuck you, Tyna." Setrina said, voice full of fury.

"All in good time, Setrina." He said. He used one hand to push a strand of hair out of her face. "But like it or not, you are _mina_ now. My beauty. My Queen."

"You're insane." She said.

"Don't use that word." He said, almost as if speaking to a child. "Insane is what small-minded people call others with ideas too big for them to understand." He said, exclaiming the last word with a tap on the head. She glared at him. He had truly lost his mind. "You'll come around eventually." He said. He turned and walked away, opening the door. Setrina moved away from him, never taking her eyes off of him, as if she could kill him with her death stare. Before he walked out of the dungeon door, he stopped and turned to look at her. "You'll learn to love me."

With that, he walked out and closed the door. Multiple locks could be heard, and Setrina sighed. At least she wasn't chained up again. She turned back to the dresser, and picked up the candelabra. She wasn't about to give up that easy.

Just then, she could hear a commotion outside. She turned towards the door, confused. There were distant grunts and sounds of flesh hitting flesh. Setrina raised some red flags, deciding to block the sounds out. Then as they grew closer, Setrina recognized them as sounds of fighting. Her eyes widened. Maybe it was Hiccup? No, he was in Scotland...dying. Then who was it?

The sounds of fighting stopped, and Setrina looked worriedly at the door. She backed up and held the candelabra as if it was a sword...which she couldn't use very well. After all, she wasn't trained to use a sword.

She waited, focusing her ears. She could hear footsteps. The sounds were getting closer. She strengthened her stance, waiting for whoever was past that door. After a few seconds, the doors were pushed off their hinges, flying past Setrina. She froze in shock, but then she saw Stormfly. She let go of her makeshift weapon, and ran to her dragon, wrapping her arms around her dragon's neck.

"Setrina!" She heard someone say. She looked in the doorway and saw Festa, standing in her full armor.

"Festa!" She said happily. Festa charged at her, grabbing her in a death-grip bear hug.

"You're all right!" Festa said happily. Setrina laughed and returned her hug. Festa let go and stepped back. "...And you're wearing...silk. Why?"

"It's a long story." She said. "Let's go before Tyna get's back."

"Wait, Tyna's here?" Festa asked.

"It's a long story. Let's just get out of here before-"

"Leaving so soon?" Tyna asked. Setrina turned around and saw Tyna, along with twenty other guards and five armored dragons. Hogva and Astrid were chained and gagged, being held by the arms.

"Let them go, Tyna." Setrina said.

"I would if I could, Setrina...but I can't. You see, I need them to get our dear old friend Hiccup here. Someone has to avenge you, dear."

"I am _not_ your dear." She said through gritted teeth.

"All in good time." He said, showing that awful smile.

"...Wait...what's going on here?" Festa asked. Setrina remembered how Festa looked at Tyna, and felt bad for her. This couldn't be easy for her.

"Oh, the freak is here." Tyna said. Setrina looked at him with complete fury, but a confusion was in her. "Come back for your ' _friends_ '?"

"Tyna, what are you doing. This isn't you." Festa said.

"Festa, don't even try." Setrina said, never taking an eye off of him. "He's too far gone."

"Oh, Setrina." He said, leaning in close as if he was telling a secret. "I'm starting to think you have horrible taste in friends."

"Fuck you." She said.

"Wow, twice in one day. That's a new record." He said, smiling. She clenched her fists, but didn't do anything. She couldn't risk the lives of these people. "Anyway, it seems that nearly all of your friends have secrets. Isn't that right, Festa?"

Setrina looked at Festa. She looked like she had just seen a ghost. Did Festa have a secret, too? She couldn't stand the thought that someone else close to her was keeping a secret.

"Oh, so it is. I doubt you've told her yet." Tyna said. Setrina looked at Festa.

"Festa, what is he talking about?" She whispered to her. Festa looked at her, and moved her mouth like she was about to say something. But nothing came out.

"...Festa is in love with _you_ , Setrina." Tyna said.

Setrina just stared at him, then looked at Festa. She was staring at the ground, not looking at her at all. That proved it. He was telling the truth. Festa, her best friend, her companion, a _girl_...was in love with her. She thought of all the times she saw her staring at Tyna, but at all those times, he was sitting right next to her. Festa was really staring at her, completely grief-stricken, because she knew that Setrina would probably never have her.

She looked at Hogva. He couldn't speak, but he had a look of pity on his face. Astrid looked just about as shocked as she felt Tyna had a smug grin on his face. Festa just looked away from her. She didn't know what to do.

"Take them away. And this time, make sure they can't escape." He said. The soldiers grabbed her friends and Astrid, taking them away. As a soldier grabbed Festa, Setrina stared at her. Festa faced her with eyes full of tears.

" _I'm sorry._ " Festa whispered, before she was taken away. Setrina just stood there, confused and uncertain. Tyna smirked at her, but she was too shocked to even be angry. He led her to her bed and laid her down on it, staring at her onw more time before leaving, closing the dungeon doors behind him. She just lay there, staring at the ceiling, confused and sad.

She didn't know what to believe anymore.

* * *

(Astrid's POV)

Astrid was once again chained to the wall. But this time she was sitting down, thankfully, but had many more chains before. On Berk, they didn't even chain _dragons_ like this. In her mind, she went over what had happened over and over in her head. She thought about that...confession of sorts. Setrina seemed to be the object of everyone's affection. She wondered what she would do in her position. She wouldn't know what to do. If it were her, she would have just laughed in her face. But apparently, that wasn't how it worked with them.

What she was focused on was how she would rearrange that smug little weirdo's face when she got out of here. _No one_ treated her like this. She would enjoy making him suffer bodily. She sighed and studied her new chains. She doubted that these people could get out of these ones, no matter what their training was. She looked at them, seeing how angry they were.

Well, the boy was. The girl looked like she had just lost a family member. Astrid supposed in a way, she had lost someone very important to her. Setrina would probably never have her like that, and their friendship would be unfixable. It would be like if Ruffnut had said she loved her. She would have been shocked and sad. But mostly, she would be confused.

"...So, do you two have a plan on getting us out of here?" Astrid asked, the either of the twins. Hogva looked at her unbelievably, and Festa just stared at the ground. Astrid sighed. "Never mind." After a second, Hogva sighed.

"Tyna said that he needs us to get to Hiccup. If that's true, then he'll probably ask a ransom." Hogva said, and Astrid could basically see the wheels turning in his head.

"But why? What did he do that makes all _this_ acceptable?"

"Well, we didn't know about his past until you guys came along. We all took that pretty hard, but in Tyna's case, it must have hurt him the most."

"...So he kidnaps four people, his _friends_? Why?"

"I don't know, we haven't really had much talk on the account of these chains." Hogva said, hostility rising in his voice.

"Hogva." Festa said. The only thing she said, his name. But it seemed to get to Hogva. He sighed.

"I'm sorry, I'm just a little angry." He said.

"Don't worry, you're not the only one." Astrid said. "I would give anything to cave his smug little face in." She clenched her fists, as to make her point.

"Uh, love the enthusiasm, but that may not be all you have to do." He said. Astrid shrugged.

"Even better." She said. There was silence for a moment, and Astrid found it nearly unbearable. She closed her eyes and thought of Berk, the others. And for a moment, it was almost like she wasn't chained up in a dark, damp cave. But, at some point, she would have to open her eyes, and face the world.

"...She hates me now, doesn't she?" Festa said, out of nowhere. Astrid opened her eyes and looked at her.

"No, she doesn't." Hogva said. "She's just a little surprised, that's all. Give her time."

"It doesn't matter. She'll never look at me the same again." She said.

"Festa, it's going to be all right." Hogva said, but it was evident on his face that he didn't know if it was going to be okay at all. Astrid sighed.

"Her entire world has changed." Astrid said. Both Hogva and Festa looked at her, confused. "All the things she thought were true, aren't. All the things she believed, are false. She needs time to accept the reality of things. _Then_ she'll decide what to do. Just be patient. Besides, you don't know how she feels about you. She could actually like you the way you like her. But sitting here moping won't help the current situation."

Festa looked at the ground, seeming to be a little sadder, and Hogva stared at her like she had grown two heads. Astrid knew it was a little harsh, but it was the truth. Sometimes the truth hurt. Sometimes it didn't. That was how life worked.


End file.
